He's Bad News, in the Best Way
by scorrose
Summary: A cliched love story between a bad boy with a good streak and a good girl with a bad streak. This is a modern day, non-magical AU. I originally took this story down but decided to re-upload it.
1. Chapter 1

'Scorpius, please,' Felicity Witt cried as she followed Scorpius Malfoy through the school parking lot. Her dull brown ponytail bounced with each step she took as she tried to match his pace. 'I know we can make this work! We just need to talk about it!'

Rose Weasley leaned back against Scorpius' pickup truck and crossed her arms over her chest. She watched, amused, as the tall blond rolled his eyes. Hands in the pockets of his tattered black leather jacket, he whirled around to face the short, stout sophomore. Her green eyes sparkled with hope as she gazed up at him. It was sickening.

'Flick, it's not going to happen,' he sighed, unsuccessfully trying to hide the irritation in his voice. He muttered a brief apology, lacking sincerity. Before the girl could respond, Scorpius pivoted on his heel and walked off, leaving Felicity standing by herself.

'Fine,' she called after him. 'We're done! And don't expect me to take you back, either!' Ignoring people's snickers, Felicity stomped away, cheeks flushed in embarrassment and exasperation.

Rose rolled her eyes at Felicity and turned her attention to Scorpius, who was walking towards the truck. 'Wow, another one,' she said to him. 'That's, what, the third girl this week? Are you going for the record or something?'

'Shut up,' Scorpius barked, yanking the truck door open and climbing inside. Rose grinned smugly and joined the blond in the truck.

'So Felicity, huh? What attracted you to her, anyway?' Rose mocked, pulling the seatbelt across her frame. 'Is she, like, really good in the sack or something?'

'Don't be vulgar,' Scorpius said, frowning, as he pulled out of the parking lot.

'Oh, come on. Seriously, what was it? Is her family loaded?'

'I'll tell you what it is. She doesn't endlessly interrogate me with stupid fucking questions.'

'Someone's in a bad mood,' Rose said. 'Did you forget to have your bowl of Cheerios this morning?'

Scorpius clenched his jaw, his hands clamped firmly around the steering wheel. Rose giggled at his obvious frustration. She'd always found the utmost satisfaction in taking the mickey out of Scorpius; ever since they were young.

Hermione and Astoria were co-workers when Rose and Scorpius were younger, and had been good friends. As well as this, their families lived no more than a few streets away from each other and so since Scorpius was able to drive, he had been asked to take Rose to and from school.

Although over the years the closeness between their mothers had diminished, Scorpius was still Rose's mode of transport until she was able to drive. She found the journey to and from school as good an opportunity as any to mock.

As the car rolled to a stop at a red traffic light, the blond slithered out of his jacket, dumping it into Rose's lap. Rose pushed it onto the floor.

'Pick that up!' Scorpius ordered.

'Sure thing, Scorp,' Rose replied. She leaned forward to turn on the radio, deliberately ignoring the clump of fabric resting by her foot.

'God, how many times have I told you not to call me that?' Scorpius groaned.

'Oh, I don't know. Twelve?'

'Why are you such a smartass?' he sighed.

Rose giggled and glanced sideways at him. Scorpius was tall and slim, with a bit of muscle on him. His tousled blond hair fell messily onto his face, into his clear grey eyes. He pushed it back with his left hand, his right now resting lazily on the steering wheel. He was sporting dark jeans and a fitted off-white T-shirt that showed off his sculpted body.

She may not have liked him, but she couldn't deny that he was attractive. It was hard to believe that only a few years ago he had been a scrawny little thing, and almost as short as Rose herself. She had to commend him on his transformation.

Scorpius snapped his fingers in front of her face. 'Hello?'

Rose started. 'What?'

'Oh my God,' he smirked. 'Were you checking me out?'

'Get over yourself,' Rose scoffed, turning up the volume on the radio and humming along.

'Whatever,' Scorpius said, amused. 'What is this crap?'

'I'm sorry; I think you mispronounced "ingeniousness".' Rose retorted.

'No, I definitely meant to say "crap". If this is your idea of ingeniousness, then I feel sorry for you.'

'This from the guy who listens to stupid emo scream-o,' Rose snapped. Scorpius burst into exaggerated laughter.

'_Emo scream-o_,' he repeated. 'Oh, Rose, your ignorance delights me.'

'I'm sorry?'

'First of all,' Scorpius said very matter-of-factly, 'I listen predominantly to rock, not metal – or '_emo scream-o_' as you call it. Most of the music I listen to doesn't involve harsh vocals. Second of all, I bet that if you gave this genre a chance, you'd probably like it.'

Rose raised an eyebrow, seemingly unconvinced. 'Right,' she said. 'It's too bad we'll never find out, isn't it?'

'God, you're so narrow-minded,' he replied. 'Seriously, just give it a listen. If you don't like it, I'll pay you. I will physically give you money that I have worked hard to earn.'

'You mean money that your dad gave you, right?' Rose teased.

'Whatever. Are you in or not?'

'Okay. I want a fifty,' she said, not at all expecting Scorpius to agree.

'Fine,' he said.

After a few minutes of silence – apart from the Top 40 playing on the radio – the truck pulled up at Rose's house. She opened the door, but before she could hop out, Scorpius stopped her. 'Hey, don't forget about the bet.'

Rose sighed overdramatically. 'Fine, give me a song to listen to, then.'

Scorpius grabbed a scrunched up receipt from the cup holder beside him and flattened it out as best he could. 'Give me your lipstick.'

'Ew, no way! That receipt has probably been in there for weeks!' Rose argued, wrinkling her nose.

'Don't be such a fucking princess,' Scorpius barked. 'Just give me something to write with.'

Rose rooted through her backpack for a pen and handed it to Scorpius, who then messily scribbled down the name of a song. He assured her of the song's awesomeness as he handed her the crumpled piece of paper.

'Uh huh.' Rose doubted it. She gave him a short 'bye' and closed the door. As if she was actually going to listen to the song. No, she'd just tell Scorpius she hated it and score herself fifty bucks; provided, of course, that Scorpius kept up his end of the bargain. Maybe next time she should bet higher?

As she walked to the front door, she heard the loud humming of the truck's engine as Scorpius drove off down the street. Once he was gone, Rose scrunched up the receipt and tossed it into the garden.

**X**

'Friday's finally here!' Ron announced happily as he walked through the front door. He pulled off his tie and blazer and dropped them on the arm of the couch. Rose looked up from the pot on the stove.

'Hi, Dad,' she smiled.

Ron gave his daughter a peck on the cheek and sat down at the kitchen table, panting slightly, as if walking from the front door to the kitchen had tired him out. 'Where's Hugo?'

'Upstairs. I guess he's doing homework,' Rose replied. 'How was work?'

'Ah, same old,' he said.

Rose nodded and tapped the spoon against the edge of the pot, placing it on the sink and joining her father at the table.

'Say,' Ron said. 'How's that boy? Uh, Scorpion?'

'Scorpius,' Rose corrected. 'He's fine, I guess? I don't know.'

'You two aren't dating are you?' Ron questioned, his face suddenly serious.

'Ew, Dad! No!'

'And he hasn't made a move on you, has he?'

Rose shuddered. 'Seriously, stop. Where is this coming from?'

'Hey, I'm just making sure my little girl isn't being taken advantage of by undeserving boys,' Ron said.

Rose smiled and shook her head. Her father could be such a dork sometimes, but she loved him. At that moment, both Rose's mother opened the front door, and her fifteen-year-old brother Hugo clopped down the stairs and into the kitchen, his fingers moving swiftly across the keyboard of the phone on which his eyes were fixed.

'Hey, Mum,' Rose called out.

'Ronald!' Hermione cried from the living room. 'How many times have I told you to hand your blazer in the closet when you get home from work? Honestly!'

Rose giggled. Hermione entered the kitchen, her heels clacking against the linoleum.

'Oh,' she smiled, noticing her children. 'Hello Rosie, Hugo.'

'Hi,' Hugo mumbled. He didn't avert his gaze from the device in his hands as Hermione kissed his forehead.

'That smells delightful, Rose,' she said, taking a seat at the table. Ron rested his hand gently on her knee.

'Yeah,' he agreed. 'What're we having?'

'Pumpkin pasta,' Rose announced. At hearing this, Hugo looked up excitedly at his sister. 'Just for Hugo.'

'Thanks, sis. Let me know when it's ready.' With that, he retreated to his bedroom, leaving Rose in the kitchen with her parents.


	2. Chapter 2

Typically, Rose's Saturday involved meeting up with a friend during the day, and then either a family dinner, a date or a party at night. However, having broken up with her last boyfriend several weeks prior and not having arranged anything with her friends, Rose found herself free of plans. It was a good thing, too; with four assignments due throughout the week, as well as homework and study for other subjects, Rose couldn't afford to waste time.

Rose knew it wouldn't take too long to complete all the work, if only she could find the motivation. That was the problem though; when there was work to be done, she found practically anything else interesting.

After a long, warm shower to wake herself up, skimming through the paper over a plate of pancakes she cooked herself, and a Pilate's workout, she figured she should start at least one of her assignments; so she headed down to the study. Once on the computer, she typed quickly as idea after idea popped into her head. But after three paragraphs, she stopped, unsure of what to write next.

After a few minutes of staring blankly at the page, she deemed it useless and pulled up YouTube. There was no point in wasting her time vacantly staring at what she'd done, trying, to no avail, to come up with more. Right? She'd just have to wait for inspiration.

Somehow, in a period of seventeen minutes, Rose went from watching Internet Cats videos to listening to music by artists she'd never heard of before, in genres she never thought she'd touch. Eventually, the song that Scorpius suggested came to mind. She sat back in the desk chair, biting down thoughtfully on her lip as she tried to remember the name.

She tapped on the keys, typing it in. A list opened beneath the search bar. Rose moved the mouse so that it hovered over the name of the song, but before she could click on it, Hermione called her from the front door.

'Rose! Could you come and help me with the shopping, please?'

'Just a second,' Rose called back. She closed the internet and saved her work, and went outside to help her mother carry in the groceries.

**X**

In the evening, rain drummed down on the roof of the Weasley household. Rose pulled the blanket around her shoulders as she continued typing her essay on the laptop. She looked out the window. Dark clouds shrouded the late afternoon sky and the glass was covered in little droplets of water.

Rose loved this weather, especially when she was tucked up in bed watching a movie with a hot chocolate. Writing an essay wasn't exactly ideal, but whatever.

After an hour, Rose decided to take a break and listen to the stupid song. Again, she opened the internet and searched it.

The song began loudly, with drums crashing and banging and the guitar playing a riff that Rose decided sounded rather demonic, quite honestly. Having been startled by the opening, she discontinued listening. She exited the tab and smirked to herself. She couldn't even get past the introduction of the song. That was a hard fifty for her. Rose, one; Scorpius, nothing.


	3. Chapter 3

Despite _hating _the song, Rose found herself humming along to the tune the next day, as she printed off her work.

And again as she helped Hermione with dinner.

And again as she washed her hair.

Eventually, the redhead listened to it a second time. She couldn't get it out of her head. It was like it had planted itself into her mind or something.

Monday morning came along quickly. Rose made sure to keep Scorpius waiting out the front in his truck for as long as possible without actually being late to school. She continued styling her hair, had a drink, fixed her makeup, and flipped through her assignments to ensure that she hadn't forgotten any of them.

Finally, she threw her floral patterned bag over her shoulder and made her way out the front, walking down the driveway at a leisurely pace. From inside the car, she saw Scorpius rolling his eyes in impatience, but he didn't try to hurry her. He knew it was no use, as he was well aware of the fact that she only did it to irritate him.

Rose opened the truck door and pulled herself inside. 'Hey, Scorp.'

Scorpius ignored the nickname. 'Did you end up listening to the song?' he asked.

'Jesus, aren't you straight to the point? I didn't even get a hello.' Rose replied. She placed her hand dramatically on her chest, feigning surprise.

'Hi. Did you listen to it or not?'

'Yes, Scorpius,' Rose sighed.

'And?'

'You owe me fifty bucks,' she told him shortly, examining her nails.

'You seriously didn't like it?' Scorpius asked, pulling out his wallet. Rose, who was fixated on her fingernails, didn't notice the look of disappointment on Scorpius' face. She scoffed at his question.

'Don't sound so shocked. I told you I wouldn't, did I not?' Scorpius handed her a crisp fifty dollar note, which she tucked into the pocket of her jeans.

**X**

The lunchtime bell chimed. Rose's English teacher, Mr Harding, dismissed the class, reminding them of their homework as they filed out the door and into the sea of students in the hall.

Rose opened her locker and placed her books neatly inside, making sure that they were all standing up side-by-side in order of that day's classes.

'Don't you get tired of doing that every day?' Scorpius' deep voice sounded from behind her. Rose spun around.

'Doing what?' she asked defensively.

'Rearranging your books, making sure they're always in order.'

'How I arrange my books is none of your business Scorpius. Besides, I like being able to actually _find_ my books when I need them.'

'Hey, no need to get snippy. I was only asking a question.'

'Okay, let me ask you a question,' Rose said. 'Doesn't it get tiring having to turn your locker upside down looking for a single book? It makes you late for class practically every day.'

'I love it when you get feisty,' Scorpius teased. 'No, Rose. I'm late to class because I don't want to go to class. Having to find the shit that I need is a bonus.'

Rose sighed. 'What do you want, Scorpius?'

'I have another song that you should listen to,' he responded.

'Why bother? You're just going to lose another fifty. It's like you're asking me to take your money.'

'I'm positive you'll like this one.'

'Why do you want me to listen to your music so badly?' the redhead questioned, closing her locker and leaning back against it. 'It's coming off as a little desperate.'

'I'm trying to help you broaden your musical horizon. You should be thanking me.'

Rose rolled her eyes. Behind Scorpius' shoulder, she spotted her best friend Valeria leaning against the wall, arms crossed, waiting for Rose to be done with her conversation with Scorpius. Rose looked back at him.

'I have to go. Later,' she told him brusquely, walking past the tall blond towards her friend.

Val greeted her with a smile and a cheery tone. She nodded her head towards Scorpius, who had begun walking off in the opposite direction. 'What did he want?'

'Oh, he's trying to project his taste in music onto me,' Rose smirked. 'He bet me fifty dollars on Friday that I would like this song he suggested. Easy money. I'm just trying to figure out how I should spend it…'

Val snorted a laugh. 'There's a better chance of me telling my parents about Beau and I, right? Now hurry up, everyone's wondering where you are.'


	4. Chapter 4

The final bell sounded, signalling the end of the day. Rose grabbed her floral print backpack and flung it over her shoulder, making her way to Scorpius' truck.

As she pushed through the clusters of high school students, the redhead came across the noticeboard, and on it, a signup sheet that caught her attention. The signup sheet was for the upcoming drama production that the school produced annually. Rose had been in the last three with Val and a few other friends of hers, and she'd always enjoyed it. This year, it was Shakespeare's _Much Ado About Nothing_. So far, there were only three names on the list, two of which were girls.

Val appeared beside Rose, Beau's arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her gently into his side. Val's arm was around Beau's waist. 'Hey, guys,' Rose said.

'Ooh, I was wondering when they were going to announce the next production,' Val smiled, looking at the signup sheet. 'Sign me up.'

Rose jotted her name down below the other three, and Valeria's beneath it. She looked up at her friend's boyfriend. 'Beau?'

He glanced down hesitantly at Val, who was gazing hopefully back up at him. 'Beau, you should totally audition! You'd be so great! Gosh, wouldn't it be cool if we all got parts?'

Beau exhaled softly as if contemplating the idea. 'Okay, sure,' she said finally. Val squealed excitedly and gave him a squeeze. Rose added his name to the list.

At that moment, Scorpius strutted past with a group of his delinquent friends. 'Lame!' he called, noticing the signup sheet. His friends snickered.

'I bet it took you all day to come up with that witty argument, huh?' Rose called after him.

Val rolled her eyes. 'What a jackass. Like he would know,' she said. 'Because he's been involved in _so many _productions.'

Suddenly, an idea popped into Rose's head. She looked at her friend, who was apparently thinking the same thing, judging by the grin on her face. 'Do it,' she said quietly.

Rose picked up the pen and scrawled Scorpius' name. It would do him good, she decided, to get involved in something like this. Maybe he'd find a bit of culture.

'I should get going,' she said, tucking the pen into the front pocket of her bag. 'See you two tomorrow.'

Rose made her way outside to Scorpius' truck. She pulled open the door and climbed in, unaware of the smirk on her face.

Scorpius eyed her suspiciously. 'What're you smirking at?'

'Nothing,' she said, turning on the radio.

**X**

A few days later the school was called into the auditorium for an assembly. The drama teacher, Mr Drummond, waltzed up to the podium, introducing himself as the director of the school production. Wearing a pale blue shirt buttoned all the way up, a patterned bowtie, slim beige trousers, and loafers, he was rather funnily dressed; but it suited him.

'Could the following students see me after this assembly in regards to audition information for the upcoming production: Kyla Mantle; Evelyn Mantle; James Alton; Rose Weasley; Valeria Poxleitner; Beau Barham; Scorpius Malfoy; Imogen Fowler; and Seth Green. Thank you!'

He strode off the stage, a spring in his step, and other teachers took turns making announcements relevant to their department. Following the assembly, a small cluster of students gathered before Mr Drummond to hear what he had to say. Scorpius looked remarkably bewildered at being called back.

Mr Drummond ran through the details of audition dates and times, and what the judges would be expecting, and so on, before dismissing the students. Scorpius stayed back. Rose watched with Val from the auditorium foyer.

'Sir, listen, I didn't sign up for this,' Scorpius told Mr Drummond.

'You'd think he'd have caught on,' Rose whispered to Val, stifling a giggle.

'Well – Scorpius, is it? Well, Scorpius, if you didn't put your name down, then why were you on the list?' he questioned, one eyebrow raised.

'Someone's idea of a joke, I guess,' he muttered.

'Well, I'm not going to force you to try out,' Mr Drummond said. 'Although, as you probably noticed, we seem to be short a number of students. It would be incredibly helpful if you would at least give it a go. If it's really not for you, I'll find a replacement.'

Scorpius sighed. 'Okay,' he said. 'Thanks, sir.'

With that, he turned and walked towards the foyer to exit the auditorium. Rose and Valeria fled.


	5. Chapter 5

Scorpius didn't say anything about the signup sheet on the way home. In fact, he didn't really say anything at all. Rose guessed that it wasn't so much that he was mad – no, it was more that he knew that she had done it but he didn't want to bring it up, and that suited her.

When Scorpius pulled into the Weasley's driveway, Rose hopped out, thanked him briefly and shut the passenger seat door. Scorpius watched after the redhead as she sauntered up the driveway and up to the front door. She didn't look back at him as she opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind her.

Only when Rose had closed the door did Scorpius put the truck in reverse and back out of the driveway. As it crept along the street and away from the Weasley household, Scorpius couldn't help but smile a little.

**X**

'Hey, Mum,' Rose said as she entered the kitchen, where Hermione was placing something in the oven and Hugo was sitting at the table, doing nothing other than texting.

'Hello, Rosie,' Hermione responded, looking up at her daughter, who sat down at the table opposite her brother. 'How was school?'

'Well, I signed up for the play,' Rose said. 'Auditions are on Friday and they're announcing the roles on Monday.'

'That's wonderful, Rose,' Hermione said, smiling as she leaned against the kitchen counter. 'I'll be sure to tell your father when he gets home.'

'Rose turned her attention to her little brother, who hadn't looked up from his phone. She nudged his foot underneath the kitchen table. 'Who're you texting?'

'No one,' Hugo said.

Rose gasped. 'That means it's a girl. It's totally a girl. Is it a girl?'

Hugo didn't respond, and his cheeks turned pink. Rose laughed out loud. 'Oh my gosh, it is a girl! What's her name then?'

'Shut up, Rose,' Hugo blushed. Rose giggled at her younger brother's embarrassment.

At that moment, Rose's father stepped through the front door and into the kitchen. He greeted his wife with a kiss and then stood beside Hugo. 'What's so funny?' he asked Rose, who was grinning.

'Hugo fancies someone,' Rose teased. Hugo glared up at her, his face almost as red as his hair. Ron chuckled.

'Is that who you've been messaging for the past week?' Ron asked his son.

'Lay off, will you?' Hugo said.

'Don't be so touchy,' Rose replied. 'We're just playing.'

'What about you then, Rose? Fancy anybody?' Hugo taunted back. Rose scoffed.

'Oh, please. The guys at school are a bunch of imbeciles.'

Ron and Hermione smiled as they listened to their children's banter.

The timer on the oven dinged and the family arranged themselves around the dinner table as Rose's smiling mother placed the meal on the kitchen table.


	6. Chapter 6

Friday had come and gone, and the auditions for the production had been held. Rose wasn't nervous beforehand. She knew she would get a part; because there were so few people auditioning, Mr Drummond couldn't afford not to cast each person. Besides, she was a great actress.

So on Monday morning, when Scorpius and Rose arrived at school, the first thing Rose did was check the noticeboard beside the performing arts office. Her eyes scrolled carefully through the list of names. Character name on the right, actor's name on the left.

There were a small number of people that had gotten a minor role that hadn't signed up the week before. That was always the way. Rose found her name and checked the name of the character beside it – Beatrice! One of the lead roles. Of course, she hadn't really expected anything less.

She checked which characters her friends were playing. Valeria had the role of Ursula, one of Hero's waiting women. She would be happy with that. Beau had done well, landing the role of Don Pedro, the nobleman from Aragon. And, somehow, Scorpius had gotten the role of Benedick, a friend of Don Pedro and Claudio.

Rose scrunched her nose in distaste at seeing this. It had been a long time since she'd last seen the show, and she couldn't remember exactly how it ended, but she knew that it had something to do with Beatrice and Benedick. She supposed that she would have to wait until the script reading to see.

Suddenly, a tall figure approached her from behind, and she heard a deep voice talking to her. The kind of voice that makes your knees buckle.

'Beatrice,' the voice said, sounding impressed. 'Not bad.'

Rose whirled around. Before her stood Seth Green – not exactly the most popular guy at school, but dashingly handsome and theatre extraordinaire, Rose smiled up at him.

'Thanks,' she replied flirtingly. 'You didn't get such a bad role yourself, Claudio.'

Seth shrugged, half smirking. 'What can I say? I'm a natural.'

'You're modest, too,' she joked. Seth laughed softly.

'Yeah, well, that was actually a lie. I'm not a natural. I guess twelve years of acting lessons and being in productions paid off.'

Rose gasped, as if offended. 'How dare you,' she joked, putting her hand on her chest. Seth grinned. The bell rang and Seth looked up at his friends over Rose's shoulder; they were standing around and talking, waiting for him. He looked back down at the redhead.

'I'd better get going,' he said. 'I'll see you at Thursday's rehearsal then, hey? Looking forward to working with you, little lady.' Seth winked and walked over to his friends.

Rose made her way in the opposite direction to find Val and Beau, stifling a goofy grin.

**X**

'Don Pedro?' Beau asked, frowning. 'Who's he, then?'

Rose explained Beau's character to him. 'He's basically the most socially and politically powerful character in the play.'

'Right,' Beau said.

'Good job, baby!' Val said, squeezing Beau's arm affectionately. She hadn't been at all fussed about having such a small part in the production. In fact, with her gentle and withdrawn nature, Val had been thankful that she hadn't been given a principal character.

'Do I have a lot of lines?' Beau asked Rose, looking a little worried.

'A fair few,' Rose told him. 'But hey, don't sweat it.'

'Yeah, I'm sure you'll be great!' Val gushed. 'They wouldn't have cast you as Don Pedro if they didn't think you could handle it.'

Beau wrapped his arm around the girl's shoulders and pulled her into his side. She smiled and leaned into him.

'What part did Scorpius get, then?' Val asked Rose.

'Benedick,' Rose replied, crinkling her nose. 'I don't know how, though. Maybe Mr Drummond pitied him for not having signed himself up.'

'Well, at least you won't have to pretend to dislike him,' Valeria pointed out. 'And you've got a British accent. All you have to do is do what you'd normally do.'

Rose laughed. Val was right; bantering with Scorpius was what Rose was best at.

'That is, until the end of the play…' her friend continued.

'Shit, yeah. Remind me what happens?' Rose said.

'Well,' Val said, hiding a smirk. 'Beatrice and Benedick fall in love.'


	7. Chapter 7

Finally, it was Thursday evening and time for the group's first rehearsal. It was a short rehearsal, involving only a read-through of the script.

Chairs were set up in a circle in the centre of the room. Beau, Val and Rose sat down beside each other. Kyla and Imogen were already seated, on the opposite side of the circle. They chatted quietly to each other, occasionally giggling. Slowly, the room filled up. Seth strode in and occupied the seat beside Rose.

'Hey,' he said.

'Hey,' Rose smiled.

Scorpius was one of the last people to enter the room, strolling in while Mr Drummond handed out the scripts. The drama teacher looked up at the blond. 'Welcome, Scorpius. Have a seat.'

Scorpius sat down a few seats away from Beau, looking thoroughly unexcited for what was about to take place.

The session passed quickly and the reading was practically mistake free. Rose was almost dazed by Seth's acting – he was fantastic. Maybe she could flirt her way into leeching some acting tips from him sometime.

When the group were dismissed, Mr Drummond asked Scorpius and Rose to stay behind.

'See you later, Rose!' Val called, accompanying her goodbye with a little wave.

Seth walked up to Rose. 'You were great,' he told her. 'I'll, uh, see you next week, yeah?'

Rose nodded; Seth smirked and left the room. When the group had left, Rose turned to Mr Drummond. 'Is there a problem, sir?' Rose asked politely, despite already knowing what he was going to say. Rose's reading had been great, up until she and Scorpius had to act affectionately towards each other.

'Oh, it's nothing too big,' Mr Drummond said. 'It's just that you expression was noticeably less at the end of the reading than at the beginning – what happened?'

Rose spoke before Scorpius could open his mouth. 'Nothing, sir, it's just been a long day. I guess I was just feeling a little tired.'

'Well, I'd like to see an improvement before next week, please. Perhaps you two could get together over the weekend and run lines together?'

Scorpius rolled his eyes and Rose crossed her arms over her chest. 'Fine, I guess,' she said unwillingly.

'That's all,' Mr Drummond said. 'You are dismissed.'

**X**

'So, when are we doing this, then?' Scorpius asked on the way home.

Rose looked up from her phone at Scorpius. 'What?' she said.

'Practice,' Scorpius said as he watched the road, with one hand on the steering wheel and the other supporting his head. 'Reading lines together. When are we going to do it?'

'You actually _want _to do this?' Rose asked him in disbelief.

'What do you think?' Scorpius rolled his eyes.

'Well, then let's just not and say we did.'

'What are you, twelve?'

'Look,' Rose said. 'Neither of us wants to do it. What's the point?'

'Rose, you're the one who put my name down for this fucking thing and I'm not allowed to leave, so I might as well try.'

Rose didn't respond. She was slightly taken aback that Scorpius had mentioned that. She had almost forgotten that she had put his name down. Scorpius turned his head to her.

'So, does Monday work?'

The redhead sighed. 'Fine.' She waved her hand dismissively and turned back to her phone.

'Great,' Scorpius said. 'Tuesday too.'

'God, I have to spend _two _afternoons with you?' Rose scoffed.

'You got me into this, you suffer the consequences. Deal with it.'

'Whatever,' Rose grumbled. 'Fine. Tuesday too.'

Scorpius pulled up in front of Rose's house and she got out of the truck, throwing her bag over her shoulder and tossing her scarlet hair, and went inside the house.

**X**

'So are you actually going to do it?' Valeria asked Rose on the phone that night. 'Run lines with Scorpius, I mean?'

Rose lay back on her bed, holding the receiver to her ear. 'Yeah,' she replied. 'He practically forced me into it. He said that seeing as I was the one who put his name on the signup sheet, I have to _suffer the consequences_.'

'Bummer,' Val said. 'When are you guys practicing, then?'

'Monday and Tuesday after school.'

'He's making you spend _two _days with him?'

'I know, right? How totally unfair is that?' Rose complained.

'_Totally _unfair!' Val agreed. 'You should be hanging out with me instead … or Seth.'

Rose smiled at the mention of his name. 'Shut up,' she said.

'Rose, he's so into you.'

'You think so?' Rose said through the big, goofy grin on her face.

'Yes, you dork!' Val giggled. 'Hey, I'm going shopping on Tuesday after school. Think you can reschedule your practice with Scorpius and join me?'

Rose agreed to change the second practice to Wednesday. Whatever. Spending time with her best friend was way more important than practicing lines with Scorpius anyway. After a few more minutes of chatter, Val's phone chimed with a message from Beau.

'Oh, Beau wants to call. I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?'

The girls said their goodbyes, and Rose clicked off the receiver.


	8. Chapter 8

The weekend flew by, and while school on Monday had dragged on, the final bell eventually rang, echoing throughout the empty hallway. Rose ambled out of her last class, made her way to her locker, and began walking to meet Scorpius at the theatre entrance.

He was leaning against the wall by the door, his script in his hand, arms folded across his defined chest muscles. 'Oh, hey,' he said, looking surprised when Rose walked up to him. 'You actually showed up.'

'Shut up, Scorpius,' Rose snipped. 'Let's just get this over and done with.'

**X**

It was five o'clock before Scorpius finally decided that it was time to leave. The practice had been fine. Rose saw no need for another two hour session with Scorpius on Wednesday. But he was adamant on the idea of having a second practice. Knowing that she wouldn't win, Rose just accepted it. At least the first one was over. She was halfway there.

The next afternoon, the girls caught the bus from school to the shopping centre. They walked around, looking for deals in all their favourite stores and eventually decided that they were hungry and stopped by the food court to pick up some dinner.

When they had found a table and sat down to begin eating, Rose spotted a familiar face amongst the crowd. He noticed her back and gave a grin and a small wave. Rose waved back.

Val noticed and turned around to see who her friend was waving at. Despite the many others in the food court, Valeria managed to spot the chocolate-brown-haired, sparking-emerald-eyed amateur actor. 'Hey, is that Seth?'

Rose nodded. 'Yeah,' she said.

'Well, invite him over to sit with us!' Valeria suggested, turning back to Rose.

Following her friend's orders, Rose caught eye contact with Seth and beckoned him over. He made his way through the crowd to their table. 'Hey, Seth,' Val said with a smile.

'Ladies,' Seth bobbed his head in acknowledgment, flashing a charming grin at Rose.

'I didn't at all suspect that you'd be the type to go shopping,' teased Rose. Seth smiled.

'I just finished my shift,' he replied, gesturing towards the store at which he worked. 'I'm just getting some dinner before I go home, since my parents probably won't be home for a few more hours and I can't cook a meal to save my life.'

Valeria laughed. Rose smiled and twirled her hair. They made small talk for a few minutes, discussing the play.

'Hey, what did Mr Drummond have to say after Thursday's rehearsal?' Seth asked Rose.

'Oh, just that my lines got a little sloppy towards the end. Nothing major.' Rose replied.

'And he's making her practice with Scorpius,' Val said. 'It totally sucks.'

Seth smiled, agreeing that her situation did, in fact, suck. He looked down at his watch. 'Listen, I'd better get going. I'll see you two at rehearsals. Take care.' With the corners of his mouth pulled into a smirk, Seth winked at Rose and turned to walk off. Rose watched him go.

'See? He so likes you,' Val said once Seth was out of earshot. She brushed her hair out of her face and took a sip from her milkshake.

'Get out,' Rose said.

'Seriously,' Val continued. 'It's so obvious. The way he talks to you, the way he looks at you. I mean, he winked at you. How can you not see it?'

'He winked at both of us,' Rose shook her head and looked down at her nails.

'What are you, blind?' Val mocked. 'I don't know what you saw, Rose, but I can tell you that he was looking directly at you. The wink was to you.'

'Really?' Rose said, a smile breaking out on her face.

'Aw, does somebody have a crush?' Val kidded.

'Shut up,' Rose said.

'Hey, I don't blame you. He is totally hot,' Val grinned. 'I say, hook in.'

'You're kidding. What do you want me to do?'

'I don't know,' Val shrugged. 'You've had more boyfriends than I have. Give him your number or something.'

'I guess,' Rose replied.

'Or ask him if he wants to hang out some time.'

'Ugh, that's so cheesy, Val.'

'Okay, don't make it a question,' Valeria joked.

Rose laughed. 'You're insane. I'm not going to force him into hanging out with me.'

Val grinned. 'Well, I don't know. Just give him your number and tell him to call you. That's what Beau did when we first met.'

Rose wrinkled her nose in feigned distaste. 'How very _nineties _of him,' she said.

'Then don't do anything! What do you want from me?'

'Alright, alright,' Rose said. 'I'll give him my flipping number, woman.'

**X**

Wednesday after school, Rose was making her way from her last class to her locker when Seth—literally—bumped into her. She stumbled back, but he grabbed her forearm and steadied her.

'I'm so sorry!' he said. 'Are you alright? I didn't hurt you, did I?'

'Yeah, I'm fine,' Rose told him. 'Gosh, I'm no pansy, Seth. It was just a bump.'

Seth smiled at her humour. He motioned for his friends to leave the two alone, which they did, and began walking with Rose down the hall to her locker.

He leaned against the locker beside hers as she fiddled with the lock and pulled the door open. She picked out the books for the subjects she'd been given homework for and placed them in her bag. She thought about what Valeria had said about giving Seth her number, and as she was just about to open her mouth, he spoke.

'So, hey, I was wondering if you wanted to catch up some time over the weekend,' he said. 'To, you know. Run lines or whatever.'

Rose smiled flirtatiously. 'I'd love to,' she said. She pulled a piece of paper and a pen from her book and wrote down her number, placing it in his hand.

'Great,' Seth grinned. 'Did you need a lift home now?'

'Oh,' Rose said. God, how she wished she could say yes. 'I can't. I have to stay back and practice the script with Scorpius. Thank you, though. Another time?'

'No problem,' Seth answered. 'I'll call you. Have fun.'

**X**

The second rehearsal with Scorpius was tedious but, like the first one, there was nothing wrong with the reading. Scorpius suggested that they act the scenes out – as best they could without props or other actors. Rose agreed.

As they were acting through the script a second time, however, something happened. Something that made Rose's stomach lurch.

They were growing close to the final scene, whereby Beatrice and Benedick married, when it happened.

'Sweet Beatrice, wouldst thou come when I called thee?' Scorpius – Benedick – exclaimed affectionately.

'Yes, Signor, and depart when you bid me.'

'Oh, stay but 'til then!'

'"Then" is spoken. Fare you well now. And yet, 'ere I go, let me go with that I came, which is, with knowing what hath passed between you and Claudio.'

'Only foul words, and thereupon I will kiss thee.' Scorpius looked at Rose, waiting for her to read her next line. Rose kept her eyes on her script.

'Foul words is but foul wind, and foul wind is but foul breath, and foul breath is noisome. Therefore I will depart unkissed.'

'Rose.'

'What, Scorpiu—'

Before she could even get finish saying his name, Scorpius was kissing her. On the lips. Utterly surprised, Rose immediately jerked backwards so forcefully that she stumbled and fell over. Scorpius looked sheepish and held out his hand to help her up, but she ignored it and pushed herself up off the ground.

'What was that?' she demanded, her face flushing, her breath growing heavy.

Scorpius shrugged hesitantly. Rose didn't know what to say. 'I … Scorpius, that wasn't in the script,' Rose said, looking at the floor. Scorpius didn't say anything. 'I have to go.'

Rose walked out of the theatre and hurried outside, where she stopped for a minute to catch her breath. She cradled her head with her hand. What had just happened?

Scorpius had kissed her.

She didn't know how she was going to get home, but at this point she really didn't care. She looked around the parking lot; only the white pickup truck was there. She decided to make her way home by foot. It wasn't _that_ far.

Back in the theatre, Scorpius forced his clenched fist at the wall, hard. Then he left for home.


	9. Chapter 9

Half an hour later, Rose arrived home. She stepped into the kitchen, where both of her parents were sitting at the table.

'Rosie,' Hermione said upon her daughter's entrance. 'Thank goodness you're home. We were worried that something had happened.'

'Hm? No, nothing's happened.' Rose replied, forcing a polite smile.

'You're later than usual,' Ron said.

'Oh, yeah. I, uh, I walked home,' Rose confessed. 'Scorpius went home early today and I stayed back to run lines with … no one. I just, um, practiced by myself.'

Ron looked at his daughter suspiciously. 'How come you didn't call us? I would've picked you up.'

'I just felt like walking, I guess.'

'You look a little flustered, dear,' Hermione chimed in.

'It's just from the walk,' Rose said. God, were they ever going to stop interrogating her? 'But nothing happened. I promise. I wasn't out creating mischief with a sexually active boy or buying drugs or anything.'

Ron and Hermione stared at their daughter. Rose excused herself and hurried upstairs to her bedroom where she immediately pulled out her phone and dialled her best friend's number.

**X**

'HE _KISSED _YOU?!' Val screeched over the phone. Rose pulled the receiver away from her ear, wincing at the volume of her friend's squeal.

'Fuck, Val, would you keep it down?' Rose scolded. 'Yes, he kissed me.'

'What did you do?'

'I just left. I mean, what was I supposed to do?' Rose fell back onto her bed with an 'oof', her scarlet curls splayed out on the covers beneath her.

Val paused for a moment before asking, 'Did you like it?'

'Ew, Val!' Rose cried. 'This is serious. What am I going to do?'

'Come on, I won't tell anyone,' Val pressed on. 'Was it good? Can he kiss?'

'Valeria—'

'Rate it on a scale of one to ten.'

Rose sighed in frustration. She knew Val, and she knew that Val did not give up until she got what she wanted. 'I don't know, for God's sake. A seven, I guess.'

Valeria squealed again until Rose shushed her. 'Sorry,' she said sheepishly. 'Wait, so if it wasn't bad, what's the problem?'

'What do you mean _what's the problem_, Val? It's Scorpius! It's weird,' Rose responded. 'I mean, we've known each other for like, years, and he's never showed any kind of feelings for me. And now he just … _pounces _on me out of nowhere?'

'So what are you going to do?' Valeria asked, suppressing her surprise-slash-excitement for her friend's sake.

'I don't know,' Rose groaned, holding her palm to her forehead. 'That's why I'm calling.'

'Maybe you should see how he is tomorrow,' Val advised. 'If being around him is weird, then maybe avoid him. I mean, that's what I'd do anyway.'

'Oh, Valeria,' Rose said dramatically, putting her hand on her heart. 'So wise.'

'Oh, you,' Val said equally as dramatically.

'Anyway, I'd better let you go. I'm sure Beau misses you. It's been what, an hour since you two last spoke?'

'Quiet, you,' Valeria said. 'I can't help it if I'm irresistible.'

Rose giggled. 'Alright, I'll see you tomorrow.'

'Kisses!'

Feeling a little better, Rose hung up the home phone. A few minutes later, her cell phone rang. Unknown caller. She picked it up and pressed it to her ear.

'Hello?'

'Hey,' spoke a deep, deliciously familiar voice. 'It's Seth.'

**X**

'Hey Seth, you drive, right? Can I ask you a favour?' Rose asked. It was 7.43pm. They'd been on the phone for over two hours. Rose had yet to eat dinner or do her homework, but she felt so much better than before.

'Sure, what's up?' Seth asked.

'I was wondering if I could get a lift to and from school tomorrow…?' she ended the question hesitantly, but Seth agreed almost instantly. Rose thanked him, relieved.

'Doesn't Scorpius normally take you?' Seth asked.

'Oh, yeah,' Rose said. 'Well, I just thought he deserved a break after taking me to and from school for the past couple of years.'

Seth raised an eyebrow, seemingly unconvinced. 'Fair enough,' he said.

'Besides, I want to spend time with you!' Rose said quickly. 'Get to know what goes on inside that head of yours.'

Seth laughed softly. 'Well, in that case, do you want to do something this weekend?'

'What did you have in mind?' Rose bit her lip to subdue her smile.

'One of my mates is having a party on Saturday night. You should come. You can ask Valeria too, if you'd like.'

'That sounds great,' Rose said. 'Hey, I'd better get going. I'll see you tomorrow morning, then? Thanks again, Seth.'

'Don't mention it, little lady,' Seth said.

**X**

Before she went to bed that night, Rose decided that she should probably tell Scorpius not to bother transporting her from home to school and back anymore. She chose to send him a text to avoid any awkwardness that a phone call would provide. Rose was being short with him, and she knew it. But to be honest, she didn't really care as long as she didn't have to face him right now.

So she reached for her mobile and sent him a message:

_Don't worry about picking me up tomorrow. Seth's taking me to and from school from now on._


	10. Chapter 10

Most of school on Friday was spent avoiding Scorpius. Rose didn't know what else to do about the situation; the thought of him made her nervous in a way she didn't quite know how to explain. Maybe she was a coward, but whatever. She needed some time away from him. She didn't know why he'd kissed her but quite frankly, she didn't care. Whether it was a stupid dare or whether he liked her, it wasn't her problem.

At lunchtime, Rose asked Valeria about the party.

'I don't know, Rose,' Val said hesitantly. The two were sitting on the grass outside the cafeteria, backs against the wall. 'I mean, you don't even know the guy who's hosting it.'

'Aw, come on Val,' Rose pleaded. 'It'll be so much fun! And I'll get to hang out with Seth, and it'll take my mind off … well, you know.' She lowered her voice and looked down at her hands.

Val looked at Rose knowingly and then looked down as if contemplating it.

'Please, please, pleeeeeeease?'

After a moment, Val said, 'Do you think Beau will be allowed to come too? I don't want to be alone if you're off spending time with Seth.'

'Of course he can,' Seth chimed in before Rose could even open her mouth. The girls looked up at him. Rose stood up quickly, and Val followed accordingly. 'The more the merrier, right? So I can expect to see you there, then?'

'Yeah, okay,' Val shrugged. 'It sounds fun.'

'Great. Teddy's the host, I'll let him know.' Seth pulled a pencil and a scrap of paper out of his pocket and scribbled something on it. He handed it to Rose. 'Here's the address. I'll see you there.'

With a wink, he walked away.

**X**

Saturday night had arrived; T minus thirty minutes until the party. Rose was in Val's bedroom, sitting on a piano stool in front of the full-length mirror. She'd curled her hair with a curling iron and pinned the curls, doing her makeup as she waited for them to cool. Val was occupying the bathroom mirror to do her makeup. Beau was in the living room watching TV while he waited for the girls.

After a few moments, Val entered her bedroom. 'Almost ready?' she asked Rose, making her way to her wardrobe.

'Getting there,' Rose replied, blending concealer underneath her eyes with quick strokes of her fingers. 'It's not like we want to get there as the party starts.'

'Help me choose what to wear,' Val said, flipping through her clothes, ignoring Rose's comment. She pulled two dresses out of the wardrobe. One was deep blue, sleeveless, and loose-fitting; the other was a white floral-patterned crop top with a loose, flowing dusky pink skirt. 'Which one?' Rose turned her head.

'The blue one, I think,' she said after a moment of outfit evaluation. 'With a belt.' She turned back to the mirror.

'Thanks.' Val slipped out of her fluffy white robe and into the dress. 'What're you wearing?'

Rose jumped up excitedly as if she'd been waiting for Valeria to ask her that all night. She unzipped her bag and pulled out a black, fitted, backless dress with short lace sleeves. Val 'ooh!'ed to show her approval.

'Very nice,' she said. 'Dressing to impress tonight, I see.'

'Of course,' Rose smirked, sitting back down at the mirror. She sucked in her cheeks slightly and contoured her cheekbones.

'Are you alright to finish getting ready by yourself? I might go wait with Beau,' Val said, putting a pair of plain black heels on. 'Don't be too long, okay?'

'No fucking him while you wait, thanks,' Rose said, not turning her attention from her face in the mirror.

'No promises,' Val sang jokingly, slipping out of the room.

**X**

'Hey, you made it,' Seth smiled, approaching Rose, Val and Beau. He wore a pale button down shirt and grey jeans, and held a plastic cup in his hand. Music drifted through the walls, muffled yet loud enough so that Rose could feel the bass in her chest. Seth gestured towards a long table, elaborately decorated with different types of finger foods and bottles of alcohol. 'Drinks and food are over there,' he said.

'Thanks, Seth,' Val said, clutching onto Beau's arm as if it would fall off if she let go of it.

'Actually, do you mind if I steal Rose for a bit?' Seth asked Valeria.

Val smiled. 'Steal away,' she said. She glanced up at Beau and then turned back to Seth, leaning in slightly. 'Hey, are bedrooms off limits?' she asked quietly, a little timidly.

Seth stifled a laugh and shook his head. He pointed at the staircase. 'Upstairs. Go nuts.'

Rose giggled as Val took Beau by the hand and led him eagerly upstairs.

'Well,' Seth said, watching the couple. 'They're … enthusiastic.'

'You should've seen them in the car,' Rose said. 'Good god, she'd probably have sucked him off at the wheel if I wasn't there.'

Seth laughed. 'Can I get you something to eat or drink?'

'I'm okay for now,' Rose smiled. 'Thanks.'

'Come with me. I'll introduce you to everyone.'

'Everyone?' Rose asked.

'The gang. The cool kids,' Seth jested, leading her through the house. They walked out a pair of French doors onto the back patio. It was rooved, and enclosed by a waist-high wooden fence. A large glass door with a dark wooden frame and a small set of steps led to the backyard. To the right of the patio were some cosy looking lounges and chairs, where a bunch of people were sitting, talking loudly, drinking beers and smoking cigarettes. Seth led Rose into the backyard.

A group of about six people were sitting on the lawn that Seth was approaching. They must have been _the gang_. There was a couple making out against the back fence; she had her hands in his hair, he had one pawing her breast and the other cupping her ass. It wasn't even dark yet.

'Guys, this is Rose,' Seth said, putting his arm around her shoulders. Everyone looked up and mumbled a 'hey', smiling politely. Seth gestured around the circle and introduced everybody. Rose knew James from the play and recognised a couple of others from around school, but there were some fresh faces.

'Come sit,' said a girl called Alexandra, who had long dark hair and sharp cheekbones, patting the grass beside her. Rose took her shoes off and sat down, folding her legs beneath her. Seth followed suit, stretching his legs out in front of him.

They talked about acting and music and Shakespeare and school and all the assignments they were getting lately and then acting again. Rose was enjoying herself, having forgotten what had happened on Wednesday, when she spotted none other than Scorpius fucking Malfoy. He'd managed to come outside without Rose noticing, but now that she'd spotted him, she felt sick.

He was sitting with one of his friends, talking quietly, pretending that he didn't know she was there. Rose leaned over to Seth.

'Hey, do you mind if we go back inside?' she asked.

'Sure thing,' he said quietly, and then stood up, excusing himself and Rose from the group conversation.

'It was nice to meet you guys,' Rose said, following Seth. She made sure as they walked inside to take hold of his hand, lacing her fingers between his. She didn't need to turn around; she could feel Scorpius' eyes watching her as she walked.

**X**

'Hey, you okay? You seem a little … out of it,' Seth said gently. They were sitting on one of the couches inside, bodies turned towards each other. The stereo was a few rooms over, but the music was still loud. Other people were sat in the room as well, on the couches and the floor. Laughing, chatting, drinking.

'What? Yeah,' Rose said, making an effort to smile. She reached forwards and fiddled with one of the buttons on his shirt. 'Just not feeling so great.'

'Are you alright? Do you want me to take you home?' Seth asked, looking down at the redhead. She kept her focus on his shirt buttons.

'You've been drinking,' Rose said. 'I'm not letting you drive.'

'Oh yeah,' Seth said, as if he'd forgotten. 'Smart girl. What's bothering you?'

He took hold of her hand with his left and put his other under her chin, coaxing her gaze upwards so that he could see her face properly.

'Nothing,' Rose said.

'Do I need to tell you how nice you look again?'

Rose smiled and bit her lip. 'Well, that's not the problem, but it'd be nice to hear.'

Seth leaned in slightly. 'You look stunning,' he whispered. 'Wonderful. Like a star.'

'A star?' Rose asked.

'A star,' Seth confirmed. 'A vision.'

Rose laughed. 'Well, thank you.'

'And you're kind of sweet,' Seth continued. 'I mean, I guess. Almost as good an actor as I am.'

'I'm sorry, almost?' Rose said, pretending his comment had offended her.

Seth nodded. 'The list goes like this. You've got the most well renowned actors and actresses at the top of the list: Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, Audrey Hepburn. All of the greats. Then you have me, a rising star, and then you. And then all the other actors and actresses in the world, like Emma Watson.'

'Okay, you're so wrong,' Rose laughed, shaking her head.

'Wait, no. You're right. Emma Watson should probably go before you.'

Rose hit Seth playfully with the back of her hand. 'Shut up.' Seth grinned. 'Hey, I don't want you to get the wrong idea or anything, but … could we go upstairs?'

'What's the wrong idea?' Seth asked.

'We're not going to fuck or anything,' Rose said, her bluntness taking Seth aback. 'I just kind of want some peace and quiet, you know?'

'Sure,' Seth said, rising to his feet and taking Rose by the hand. He led her up the stairs and down the hall. All of the doors upstairs were closed, and Rose could hear people moaning and grunting in some of them. At the end of the corridor was a door, ajar and covered in colourful drawings. Seth opened the door to a princess-y looking bedroom. Elegant, white wooden furniture was placed around the room; a vanity table, a set of drawers, a full length mirror. Fairy lights were wrapped around the headboard of the bed.

'Teddy's little sister's room,' Seth said, as though that wasn't obvious. 'She's ten.'

'So if we _did _fuck in here,' Rose said. 'It would be disgustingly, repulsively, nauseatingly kind of hot.'

Seth laughed and sat down on the end of the bed.

'Are you sure we're allowed to be in here?' Rose asked.

'As long as we don't steal or break anything, we're cool.' Seth scooted over slightly to make room for Rose, and patted the spot next to him. 'Come sit,' he said. Rose obliged.

Seth looked at her for a moment in a way that made her think he was going to kiss her, and her heart sped up. If she wasn't waiting for him to make the first move, she would've taken him right then and there.

The music downstairs segued from an upbeat pop song to Bryan Adams' _Heaven_.

'Right,' Seth said. 'You're going to teach me how to slow dance.'

'You've never slow danced before?' Rose asked. Slow dancing was like, an awkward middle school milestone. Everyone had done it. Or so Rose had thought.

'Never,' Seth admitted.

'Okay, let's do it,' Rose said, taking Seth's hands in hers and pulling him to his feet. She placed his hands around her waist and draped hers over his shoulders. 'Now just sway to the music. See? Easy as pie.'

'Oh, yeah!' Seth said, as if he thought himself to be a natural. 'Say, how did that practice go on Wednesday? With Scorpius?'

'Um, it was fine,' Rose said, suddenly feeling uneasy. She didn't want to think about this, nor did she want Seth to find out what had happened. 'It was whatever, you know? Just acting.'

Seth furrowed his brow, confused at her abrupt attitude change. 'Are you okay?'

'Of course. I mean, yes. Why wouldn't I be?'

Seth shrugged dismissively, and changed the subject, much to Rose's relief.

**X**

Two hours later Rose and Seth were still in the room together, although now lounging on the bed. Seth sat against the headboard with his legs stretched out in front of him, one ankle resting atop the other, and Rose lay on her stomach by his lap, head supported in her hand. They'd been playing Two Truths, One Lie for the past half an hour or so.

'Hmm,' Rose puckered her lips in thought. 'Well, I don't believe that you have six brothers and sisters, so I'm going to say that's the lie.'

'Actually, I do have six brothers and sisters,' Seth grinned. 'You really believed that I was cast in a movie?'

'Well that seems more likely than being one of seven children,' Rose said. 'Are you the oldest?'

'Five are older than me, one is younger,' Seth told her. 'But only the two of us still live at home. Are you an only child?'

'No, I have a younger brother,' Rose explained. 'Hugo, he's fifteen.'

Rose's phone rung in her clutch and she apologised as she reached over to fish it out. 'Speak of the devil,' she said, seeing that it was Hugo calling. 'Hello?'

'Where are you?' The moment Rose heard his voice, she felt that something was wrong. He sounded upset.

'What's wrong?' she asked.

'I need you to come and pick me up,' Hugo said hurriedly. 'Please, Rose.'

'Hugo, slow down,' Rose said, trying to calm her brother. 'What's happened?'

'I snuck out, after Mum and Dad fell asleep. There was a party that Malcolm wanted me to go to, so I snuck out and his brother took us to the party, and he said that Lisa was going to be there, and she was,' Hugo said. It sounded as if he wasn't even sure what he was saying—words were just spilling out of his mouth. 'And I don't want to be here anymore. Please, you have to come and get me.'

'Okay,' Rose said, now beginning to panic. 'Everything will be okay. I'm coming now, I'll be there soon.' She pushed herself up off the bed and told Seth, 'We have to go.'


	11. Chapter 11

Rose turned onto the street as Hugo had instructed, and pulled up in front of the only house on the street with the lights on and music coming from inside. Immediately she spotted Hugo sitting out the front, hugging his knees to his chest. Rose pulled the handbrake upwards and hopped out of the car, leaving the engine running. Hugo stood up when he saw her.

'Are you okay?' Rose asked her brother.

'Let's just go,' Hugo said, walking to the car. Seeing someone in the front seat, he climbed in the back and sat with his head down. Rose got back into the car and closed the door.

'Seth, I don't know how this is going to work,' Rose said as she drove, brow wrinkled in confusion. 'Taking you back to the party, I mean. I have to get Hugo home, but how can I do that without a car? But I can't take your car, obviously, because then you can't get home. God, I should've thought this through.'

'Rose, it's okay,' Seth said calmly. 'I don't need to get back to the party. Use my car to get home, and I'll take a taxi from there. I mean, if that's okay? I can pick up my car tomorrow.'

'Are you sure?' Rose asked.

'Of course,' Seth smiled.

'You're a lifesaver,' Rose said. 'Thank you, I owe you.'

A short while later, Rose pulled up to the Weasley residence. All of the lights were off inside, so at least her parents hadn't woken up to find Hugo missing. Hugo hopped out of the car, explaining that he could get in the same way he'd gotten out—climbing through his bedroom window.

Seth reached into his pocket for his mobile phone, and pulled it out. He looked at it intently for a moment before asking, 'What's the number for a taxi again?'

Rose giggled. 'Don't worry about a taxi,' she said. 'You can stay here the night. I mean, if you want to.'

'Are you sure?' Seth asked. 'I don't want to get you into trouble or bother anyone.'

'You won't,' Rose said. 'My parents won't even be home tomorrow morning, they always go out together on Sundays. I want you to stay, Seth.'

'Okay,' Seth said softly. 'If you're sure.'

'I am. Wait over there, by my window. I'll go inside and unlock it.'

**X**

Rose rapped gently on her brother's door with her knuckles. 'Hugo? Can I come in?' she whispered.

He grunted in response, and Rose pushed open the door, closing it behind her. She took a seat on the bed. Hugo was lying face up on top of the covers.

'What happened at the party?' Rose asked softly.

Hugo sighed. 'It was just … I don't know, it's not what I thought it would be. People were taking pills and snorting coke and there was vomit everywhere and it was loud and hot and I didn't know anyone. And … Lisa was there.' He seemed wince when he said her name.

'Who's Lisa?'

'Lisa Harper,' Hugo mumbled. 'That girl I was texting a few weeks ago, remember? You should, you made fun of me for it. Anyway, I really liked her. She was pretty and nice and stuff … I mean, I thought she was nice. She texted me and asked me if I wanted to go to the party with her, and obviously I did, so when Malcolm asked me to go tonight, I snuck out. And when I got there I went up to her and she was with all her friends, and she asked what I wanted, and I was like, "You asked me to meet you here."

'Anyway, when I said that, her friend started laughing and she was like to Lisa, "Oh my god, you actually did it?" And then Lisa told me it was a joke, and they were all laughing. So I went and sat outside.'

Rose felt as if she was going to be sick – how could someone do that to her sweet baby brother? She managed to choke out an empathetic apology.

'You know what?' she said. 'This _Lisa _bitch isn't even worthy of your time, Hugo. And karma is going to kick her arse, I promise. Besides, she probably chews with her mouth open, or picks her nose or something.'

Hugo grinned.

'And one day,' Rose continued, 'you're going to meet the hottest girl you've ever seen. And she's going to fall in love with you, and Lisa will be stuck with some shit-for-brains bloke with a beer belly who works the graveyard shift at a convenience store for a living.'

'Thanks, Rose,' Hugo said quietly.

Rose patted her brother's leg affectionately. 'I'll let you get some sleep.'

She smiled softly, and left.

**X**

'Everything okay?' Seth said as Rose closed the bedroom door. He was sitting on the edge of the bed.

'Yeah. Well, sort of,' Rose said. 'Some little bitch pretended to like him as a joke. He was so humiliated. I swear to _god_, if I ever meet her ...'

'That's horrible,' Seth said.

'He really liked her, too,' Rose shook her head. 'I just feel sorry for him.'

'Oh, the joys of being fifteen.'

A smile tugged at Rose's lips. 'Look away,' she told him light-heartedly. 'I have to change.'

Seth covered his eyes with his hands and Rose slipped out of her dress and into an old t-shirt and some pyjama shorts. She dropped down on the bed beside Seth, who uncovered his eyes and turned to face her.

'You're beautiful,' he said.

'I know,' she teased. 'I'm way out of your league.'

'Too right,' Seth responded. 'Thank goodness I'm a decent actor, otherwise I'd have nothing else going for me.'

'That's not entirely true.' She lifted her head off the pillow and squinted at him, as though inspecting his features. 'You're sort of cute. And what you lack in physical attractiveness you make up for in … no, I guess you're right. Thank goodness you're a good actor.'

Seth dropped his jaw and put his hand on his chest in mock horror. He reached over to tickle Rose, who began giggling and trying to evade his touch.

'Say I'm hot,' he demanded.

Rose shook her head as she laughed and squirmed around on the bed.

'I won't stop until you say it!'

'Okay, okay! You're hot!'

'Good.' Seth stopped tickling her and Rose rolled over so that she was laying on her side, facing him.

'Are _you _ticklish?'

'Don't even try.' Seth warned.

Rose moved her hands over to his torso to tickle him, but he grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head.

'Hey!' Rose cried. 'No fair.'

'I warned you, didn't I?'

'Fine, I won't tickle you. I can't risk ruining your masculine reputation, can I?'

'I'm glad you understand.'

'A truce, then?'

Seth eyed Rose suspiciously, but nodded and let go of her hands. In one swift movement, she cupped his cheeks with them and kissed him. Without disconnecting their lips, Seth wrapped his arms around Rose's body and pulled her in close to him, deepening the kiss. Rose wrapped her arms around Seth's shoulders. Suddenly, Rose's phone rang, making the girl start. Seth laughed at her, and she shushed him as she reached over to pick it up.

'Rose?' Valeria said worriedly. 'Where are you?'

'Val,' Rose said apologetically; she'd completely forgotten to tell her friend that she had left the party. 'I left. I'm sorry, I forgot to let you know. Hugo needed me to pick him up, so I had to leave in a hurry.'

'Oh,' Val said, sounding relieved. 'Well, I'm glad you're okay. What happened to Hugo?'

'Adolescence,' Rose replied.

'What?'

'I'll explain on Monday,' Rose told her. 'I'd better go before I wake my parents up. Get home safely, okay?'

Valeria said her goodbye, and Rose hung up the phone. Then, she kissed Seth again.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi, all! I'm sorry that the story is focusing so much on Rose and Seth at the moment. If you don't like Seth, I promise things will change soon! I also had a bit of trouble writing this chapter as I seemed to be lacking creativity today. Nevertheless, I hope you're still enjoying this story. I definitely enjoy writing it!**

'Madam,' Rose announced melodramatically upon opening the front door to see her best friend. Valeria had texted Rose earlier and asked if she wanted to go to her house, but Rose thought it would be better if Valeria visited her so she could keep an eye on Hugo. Seth had gone home now, having snuck out before her parents woke up so they didn't see a strange car in the driveway. Hugo was still asleep upstairs. 'You are currently looking at the most recent person to make out with Seth Green.'

Valeria squealed excitedly. '_Seriously?_' she shrieked.

'Well, unless he picked up another girl on his way back home this morning,' Rose said, 'but for some reason I doubt that happened.'

'He stayed the night, too?' Valeria asked as she hugged her friend, as she always did when greeting her. Rose pulled back and smirked at Val, confirming that he had _indeed_ stayed the night. 'So, when I called you last night, he was there?'

'We were in the midst of a make out session,' Rose said. She gestured for Val to come inside, which she did. The brunette walked through to the living room and dropped down on the couch.

'I'm sorry I interrupted that.'

'So you should be,' Rose kidded. 'You can be so inconsiderate at times.'

'So, if he stayed the night, did you …?'

'Wow, get straight to the point, why don't you? A lady doesn't kiss and tell.'

'You literally _just_ told me that you two made out,' Valeria pointed out.

'Alright, a lady doesn't _fuck _and tell,' Rose said matter-of-factly.

'Ah, so you did!'

'You'll never know.'

'Aw, come on,' Val said. 'Beau and I did.'

Rose wrinkled her nose and laughed. 'That doesn't count, Val.'

'Why not?'

'Well it's not like you were subtle about the fact that you were going to shag,' Rose said. 'You _asked Seth if bedrooms were off limits, _for goodness sake.'

Valeria looked sheepish. 'I guess I was a little blunt about it,' she said, her cheeks turning pink.

'Understatement,' Rose said.

'Shut up.' Valeria said, hitting Rose playfully. 'Did you two fuck, or not?'

'Such vulgar language!' Rose exclaimed. 'But if you _must _know—'

'Indeed, I must—'

'—then yes. We did.'

Valeria tried to suppress a loud squeak as Rose gave her a stern look, but failed.

'Will you be quiet? Hugo is still sleeping. This squealing problem of yours really needs to be sorted out, Val.'

'Sorry. What happened with him yesterday, by the way?' Val asked in a hushed tone.

Rose explained that Hugo had snuck out with his friends to go to a party and to see Lisa, and what she had done to him. Her concise story left Valeria with her mouth hanging open in shock. 'That's awful!' she exclaimed.

'I know,' Rose agreed.

'Why would she do that to him? He's so … placid.'

'I don't know.'

'And sweet.'

'Christ, you're not crushing on my brother, are you?' Rose teased.

'Rose, please,' Valeria said, making Rose chuckle. 'Even if I was, I wouldn't want to ruin his innocence.'

'Please, let's not talk about you shagging my brother.'

Valeria grinned. 'Fine, we'll talk about _you _shagging _Seth_.'

'You're so vulgar,' Rose said. 'The topic of shagging shall not be discussed in this household.'

'Oh, come on!' Valeria argued. 'Just one teeny tiny detail?'

Rose sighed. Valeria was relentless. What was she supposed to say about it? That it was the best sex she had ever had? That it had been full of romance? That afterwards she couldn't see straight from the intensity of her climax, and that it was a glorious, wondrous experience? Or perhaps that they had fallen in love? None of that was true.

Thankfully, Hugo trudged downstairs at that moment. His eyes were sunken, his hair a mess. He looked as if he'd had a rough night. The girls turned to face him.

'Hey, kiddo,' Rose said tenderly.

'Ugh, don't call me that, Rose,' Hugo said in reply. 'I don't want you showering me in pity.'

'Well, excuse me for trying to be a caring sister,' Rose retorted. 'Now get out of my face, you slimy git. Is that what you wanted to hear?'

'Yes, that will do nicely,' Hugo said, before walking to the kitchen.

**X**

On Thursday afternoon at rehearsals, Rose made sure to act affectionately towards Seth; perhaps it would make Scorpius jealous. He deserved that, Rose thought.

So when the students were waiting for Mr Drummond to arrive, Rose clung to Seth as if she would never see him when the rehearsal was over. She kissed him whenever she could and kept her arm around his waist possessively. She wanted Scorpius to see them together when he walked into the room – but he did not show up. Whenever both Rose and Seth were offstage, she stood with him, just in case Scorpius was late, but he didn't show. James Alton was chosen to fill the role of Benedick this week.

By the end of the rehearsal, Rose was rather annoyed. So much so, in fact, that when Seth tried to kiss Rose goodbye, she turned her face so that his lips met her cheek. He seemed perplexed by this after how she had acted for the entirety of the rehearsal, but he didn't question her. Instead he said, 'I'll see you tomorrow, babe.'

Babe? Wasn't that a little cliché? Babe. God, he was an actor. Couldn't he be more creative? And why the hell hadn't Scorpius shown up? What a _coward_. She would get him back for that.

She would get him back, good.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi guys! I just wanted to quickly say that if you think the events of this chapter might've happened too quickly, or that Rose changed too quickly (have I said 'quickly' enough?), I'm sorry. I feel the same way. I haven't felt too confident in the last couple of chapters, but I wanted to upload them anyway. Nonetheless, I hope y'all are still enjoying the story!**

'Another party, Rose?' Hermione asked, looking up at her daughter from her seat on the couch. Ron sat on an adjacent armchair, feet resting on the coffee table. Rose, standing before her parents, had just asked about a party coming up this weekend that Hazel Penkridge was throwing. She'd admit that she didn't know the girl—although of course, she didn't tell her parents that—but she knew Seth, and Seth was friends with Hazel's boyfriend. That counted for something, right? At least she wouldn't be alone there. 'Didn't you only go to one last week?'

'Well, yeah,' Rose said. 'It's just that I've been stressed lately, what with schoolwork and the play—'

'Should you really be out every weekend partying if you've got that much work on your plate?' Ron interrupted.

'Dad, come on,' Rose argued. 'You know that I have all of the work under control. I'll get it all done, I promise. I always do, don't I?'

'Well, I suppose that's true,' Hermione admitted, looking over at her husband.

'It's important for me to take some time for myself,' Rose said quite matter-of-factly. 'I don't want to burn out from working too hard.'

'What goes on at these _parties_, Rose?' Ron interrogated. 'Is there alcohol? Sex?'

'Of course not, Dad,' Rose lied. 'You know that's not my scene. This is more of a _get-together _than a party.'

'Will there be boys?' her father asked sternly.

Rose had to stop herself from laughing. 'This just in: boys and girls can be friends,' she said.

'Don't sass me, Rose,' Ron scolded. 'I just don't want you doing things that you might regret, that's all.'

'Sorry. I know that,' Rose said, 'but I won't do anything stupid. I'm not daft. You have nothing to worry about.'

'You're my only daughter. I have everything to worry about.'

'Please, can I go?'

Ron exhaled deeply as he considered Rose's argument. She was a good girl. She was trustworthy and responsible, and she _had _always balanced her schoolwork and social activities in the past … Ron turned to look at his wife, seeking her approval. Hermione nodded. 'Alright, I suppose,' Rose's father said. 'Just be home by midnight, okay?'

'I'll be home at 11:59 on the dot,' Rose said giddily. She thanked her parents before practically skipping out of the living room.

Back in her bedroom, she happily texted Seth that she was allowed to go. Boy, this was going to be fun.

**X**

All week at school, Rose kept an eye out for Scorpius. But he now seemed to be avoiding _her_, as she only spotted him a couple of times and whenever she saw him, he didn't see her. Or at least he pretendedhe didn't see her. Either way, it was starting to tick Rose off. When she didn't want it from him, he practically smothered her in attention; but when she _did _want him to notice her, he apparently couldn't care less.

Seth was beginning to become more touchy-feely, too. Whenever he got the chance, he would kiss her or put his arm around her or hold her hand, or they would fuck. Well, the latter didn't really happen at school, but still. She was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed, to be honest.

He was driving Rose home on Friday afternoon, in fact, when he asked, 'Do you mind if I pull over?'

'Why?' Rose questioned, but Seth pulled over anyway.

'So I can do this,' he said, leaning over to kiss her neck. His hands wandered up her thighs, and she pushed him gently. 'What's wrong?'

'You want to fuck, here? We're not very well hidden. Someone could walk or drive past and see us,' Rose said.

'Isn't that _all part of the fun_?' Seth said, confused.

Rose sighed—she _had _said that to him a couple of weeks ago. 'We're a bit more … well … visible here then we were that time,' she said. 'Look, I just don't really feel like it today.'

Seth moved back. 'Sorry,' he said awkwardly.

'It's okay,' Rose said. 'I'll make it up to you, okay? Tomorrow night, at the party. Do you think you could pull some strings with Hazel so we can get a bedroom?'

'I can try,' Seth said unsurely.

'If not, we'll find somewhere else,' Rose said. 'Closet, backyard, wherever. I promise.'

**X**

Rose was starting to feel dizzy, but she downed the last of her drink anyway. She'd been at this goddamn party for almost two and a half hours, and had just finished her third vodka-and-soft-drink, and Scorpius still hadn't turned up. She _knew _he was going to be here tonight. _That son of a bitch had better show, _she thought.

Sure enough, not long after, Rose spotted the blond standing with some of his friends by the snack table. Rose didn't hurry to get up straight away, but she kept an eye on him as he nattered away, drink in his hand.

Rose waited rather impatiently for another hour to tick by. Finally, at 10:47pm, Rose leaned over to Seth. 'Let's go upstairs,' she said softly, her lips close to his ear. He turned his face to look at her.

'Now?' he asked, as though the conversation he was having with his friends about the top performing arts schools in America were more interesting than Rose's naked body.

'Yes, now,' Rose said brusquely, moving her body back slightly so that she could properly look at Seth. 'What, you don't want to?'

'I do,' Seth said. 'It's just that you've been kind of … I don't know … distant lately.'

'Distant? How, exactly, have I been _distant_? I've practically been hanging off your arm for weeks.'

'No, I know. But you've been talking to me less, really talking. And you've been a bit … irritable.'

'Irritable?' Rose parroted. 'Whatever. I don't want to argue. Are we going upstairs or not?'

Seth sighed softly. 'Yeah, okay. I'm sorry.'

Rose kissed him on the cheek, and he led her upstairs.

'You find a room,' she instructed. 'I'll be there in a minute. Say – where's the bathroom?'

Seth pointed out the bathroom, before going into a bedroom a few doors down. Rose entered the bathroom and sat on the edge of the bathtub.

In hindsight, this wasn't a good idea at all. In fact, it was probably the worst thing that Rose had ever done. It may not have been exactly what her father had in mind when he said he didn't want her doing anything she'd regret; but regret it, she would. In that moment, however, a drunk and angry Rose thought it was not only justified, but _brilliant_. What could _possibly _go wrong?

She pulled out her phone, and texted Scorpius.

**X**

Finally.

_Finally_, Rose was ready—if not to forgive him, to at least talk to him about it. For the first time in weeks, Scorpius felt as if a weight had been lifted. He hated living with the guilt of upsetting Rose. A grin played at his lips as happiness surged through his body; a grin that he didn't even notice until Adam asked, 'What're you smiling at?'

Scorpius looked up from his phone and immediately stopped grinning. 'Nothing,' he said, slipping his phone into his pocket.

The next ten minutes ticked by dreadfully slowly, and Rose's text message flashed in his mind repeatedly while he waited.

_I'm sorry. I want to talk to you. Meet me upstairs in ten minutes; the fourth room to the right._

What could she have to say? She had spent weeks ignoring him, and even started dating that Seth guy – were they dating, or was it just a casual thing? Either way, Scorpius couldn't stand seeing them together. He hated her throwing herself all over the chestnut-haired actor in front of him. He'd even quit the play so he didn't have to be around them both.

Scorpius ran through every possible scenario in his head and although his stomach twisted with nerves, he had a good feeling about what she might say to him.

At last, the ten minutes had come to an end. Scorpius excused himself on the grounds that he had to use the bathroom, and headed upstairs. He looked at the doors, figuring out which one he would open to see Rose's face. One, two, three, four – he headed for the room he'd been instructed to enter, passing the bathroom as he went.

As he approached the door, excitement fogged his mind. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw when he pushed it open.

**X**

'Fuck,' Seth breathed as he watched Rose's head bobbing up and down before him. He placed his hands in her shining scarlet hair and gently coaxed her head down further. Her hands took care of what her mouth couldn't manage.

Suddenly, the bedroom door opened.

Having been expecting this interruption, Rose didn't stop completely. She lifted her head, but her hands stayed where they were. In fact, feeling rather audacious, she caught Scorpius' eye and smirked at him. Seth, however, bolted upright as soon as he noticed the blond, grabbing a pillow to cover his junk.

For a second, Scorpius just stood still, one hand on the door handle, the other pressed against the door frame.

'Jesus,' he choked, and slammed the door shut.


	14. Chapter 14

'I'd better go and talk to him,' Rose said, making her smugness. She got up and followed Scorpius as he stormed out of the room, rushing down the stairs. Rose had to move quickly to keep up with him, her walk developing into a jog.

Scorpius left through the front door, closing it with such force that the wall shuddered. People standing nearby jumped and turned to see what was happening. Rose ignored their stares and stepped out the front, closing the door gently behind her. She hurried to catch up with Scorpius, who was approaching the road, but stopped a few metres away.

'Leaving so soon?' Rose called out. 'You practically just got here.'

Scorpius didn't respond and kept his back turned to her, but he stood still.

'Aw, what's wrong, Scorpie? Didn't like what you saw?'

Scorpius spun around. '_Fuck _you, Rose!' he shouted, his voice echoing down the street. 'Fuck you. _Fuck _you.'

'My, such foul language,' Rose commented, patronising him. 'But then again, who would expect any less from Scorpius Malfoy?'

'You think I'm overreacting?'

'Could have been worse,' the redhead offered brazenly. 'I could have been naked as well.'

'What the hell happened to you, Rose?' Scorpius demanded. Seth—now clothed—had come outside to see what was going on.

'What are you talking about?' Rose asked.

'You've never done anything like this. You'd never _do _anything like this, not to anyone. Not in your right mind, anyway. You're not a cruel person. Why are you being like this?'

'Who are you to tell me what kind of person I am?' Rose retorted.

'Someone who knows you. Someone who's known you for almost your entire life.'

'You don't know shit about me.'

'The only people who have known you longer than I have are your parents. I _do _know you, Rose, and this isn't you. Why are you being so … callous?'

'Callous?' Rose repeated. 'You don't think what I did was justifiable?'

'Um, no,' Scorpius responded, soundlessly seething. 'How the fuck would you justify something like that?'

'Because in the almost-two-decades that we've known each other, you never even gave me a hint. You didn't say anything, didn't do anything. So what the hell was I supposed to do when you just kissed me out of nowhere? I'm not a piece of fucking meat for you to prey on when you decide you're ready.'

'Wait, what?' Seth interjected at hearing this piece of information. They ignored him.

'That's … I ... I didn't mean for you to take it that way.'

'Then how did you mean for me to interpret the situation?' Rose asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

'I don't know,' Scorpius said. 'I didn't even mean for it to happen. It just kind of … _did_. But that hardly justifies what you did to me.'

'Rose, what is he talking about?' Seth cut in.

'Nothing, Seth, don't worry about—'

'Nothing?' Scorpius scoffed. 'You didn't even tell him? Christ.'

'Scorpius, don't you dare—'

'Rose wantedme to walk in on you two. She messaged me and told me to meet her in the bedroom "in ten minutes", I guess so she had enough time to … get things going. This wasn't an accident. She _planned _this.'

Rose felt her face growing hot. 'Fuck you!' she shouted.

Scorpius chuckled. 'Yeah, fuck you too,' Scorpius said, and left.

When he was out of earshot, Seth walked up to Rose, but she refused to hold his gaze and looked down at her feet instead.

'Is that … is that true? What he said?'

'Are you serious?' Rose said. 'No, it's not true. Are you really going to believe what _Malfoy _told you?'

'Why are you lying to me?'

'I'm not!'

'Rose, come on.'

'No, _you _come on! Would I really do something like that?'

'Gee,' Seth said, growing frustrated. 'I guess so. Is that really all I am to you? Some shitty play thing that you can use to make someone else jealous? Just something to occupy your time until you can get to something better?'

'No, of course not. Seth, I—'

'I didn't even know you liked Scorpius. Is that why you've been acting so strange lately? So distant?'

'What! I do _not _like Scorpius!' Rose said defensively. How could he think that? How was it that he read the situation so badly?

'Well, it sure seems that way.'

'How on earth does it "seem that way"? I can't stand him. I hate him. How do you not see that?'

'If you really disliked him half as much as you say you do, you wouldn't give a damn about him. You wouldn't talk to him, and you certainly wouldn't try to make him jealous. You evidently want his attention, so for you to say that you _hate _him doesn't make any sense.'

Rose couldn't respond; she had no idea what to say to that in her current state. Besides, what he was saying was ridiculous. Rose _did _hate Scorpius … didn't she? God, now that Seth had gone and filled her head with doubts, she was totally confused.

'Scorpius was right,' Seth continued. 'What you did to him sucked. And frankly, I don't want to associate with someone so insensitive. I hope you're happy with yourself. Bye, Rose.'

Rose couldn't believe what she was hearing. She stood and stared at Seth until he jumped in his car and left. What had just happened? Did Seth just end things?

The redhead turned around and walked back inside and headed straight for one of the bottles of vodka sitting on the refreshment table.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N**: **Hi guys! I am SO sorry it's taken me so long to post this chapter! Usually I have a few chapters written before I upload one, but I've been so uninspired lately and it's taken me like three weeks to write this chapter alone. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up and running soon. I hope you guys enjoy!**

The redhead must have passed out at some point because at about 3am, her ringtone woke her up. When her eyes adjusted, she found herself curled up on the living room floor, shirtless, hugging an empty alcohol bottle. Her mouth tasted revolting and her head pounded like she'd been hit over the back of it.

She fumbled to find her phone, and pressed it to her ear. 'Hello?' she said hazily.

'_Rose Elizabeth Weasley_.'

At hearing her father's voice, Rose's heart just about leapt into her throat and she sat up promptly, pushing the Smirnoff bottle away from her. In the midst of all the soap opera drama that had happened tonight, Rose had completely forgotten that she'd promised to be home by midnight. She swallowed thickly. 'Dad, I—'

'Where are you, Rose? I'm coming to get you.'

'Dad, I'm okay, I promise. You should wait until morning—'

'Rose, _where are you_?' Ron asked through gritted teeth.

'I'm—I'm at Hazel's house. I'm sorry, I just lost track of time and fell asleep and—'

Ron spoke his daughter's name firmly, making her fall quiet. 'Stop making excuses and give me the address right now, or so help me I will ground you until you're a hundred.'

Rose refrained from pointing out that her father probably wouldn't live that long, and reluctantly gave him Hazel's address. When he hung up, she sprung to her feet and headed for the bathroom. With such haste that she almost forgot how sick she felt, Rose wiped the smudged makeup from her face, fixed her hair and rinsed her mouth with mouthwash.

Wait—where the _fuck _was her shirt? Rose rushed around in her bra until she found her top and threw it over her body. When she looked presentable, she made her way to wait outside for Ron to pick her up.

**X**

Rose climbed into her parents' car, avoiding her father's glare. Even before he said anything, Rose could practically _feel _his anger. It seemed to seep from him, filling the enclosed space they shared. As Ron drove, Rose glanced over and noticed that he was gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. After a few moments of thick silence, Ron spoke.

'I'm disappointed in you, Rose.'

How clichéd.

'You know, me and your mother agreed to let you go out tonight, and you completely defied our trust. The _only _thing I asked you to do tonight was come home at a reasonable time, and you couldn't do it.'

Rose looked down at her hands in her lap. She felt sick. 'I'm sorry,' she mumbled.

Ron ignored her apology. 'And not only did you not come home, but you didn't even let us know if you were alright. For god's sake, your mother was worried sick. And—have you been drinking?'

'No!' the redhead blurted.

'Rose, don't you lie to me! You have been, haven't you? Bloody hell. You used to be so responsible! What has gotten into you? Actually, never mind, I don't want to hear excuses. You're grounded until further notice. No phone, and no going out to anywhere but school. I'm taking you and picking you up, by the way. When we get home, go straight to your room.'

Well, obviously. It was 3am, what else was she going to do at this hour? Although, while she wouldn't admit it, she was glad that her father was going to take her to and from school. She didn't even care if it was awkward—it would be nothing compared to a car ride with Seth or Scorpius, if either of them agreed to take her.

'Where did we go wrong?' Ron muttered under his breath as he pulled into the driveway. Rose pushed the car door open and jumped out.

When she opened the front door, Hermione jumped up and hurried over, throwing her arms around her daughter.

'Mum,' Rose sighed.

'You're in so much trouble, young lady,' Hermione announced as she pulled away from the hug.

Also clichéd.

Rose walked past her mother and scurried up the stairs before her father could walk in the door. In her bedroom, she pulled off her shirt, dropped her skirt and climbed into her bed.

**X**

'What in god's name is going on?' Valeria insisted, nudging Rose as she noticed Seth striding past without so much as a glance.

Rose sighed. 'Val, please.'

'No, tell me what happened. Why didn't you answer my texts last night, and why isn't Seth talking to you?'

'I'm grounded,' Rose mumbled.

'Why? What happened?' Valeria pressed.

'Can you please drop it?'

'Are you joking? No, I won't. You're my best friend, Rose, now fucking tell me what's going on.'

'Fine,' Rose hissed. 'Just keep your fucking voice down, alright? Okay, well you know how that _thing _happened in the theatre a few weeks ago? Well …'

Rose proceeded to explain the whole story, from Scorpius' unexpected kiss to her father's lecture on the way home from the party, excluding not a single detail.

'Jesus, Rose,' Valeria said in shock as the redhead finished her story. 'That's …'

'Fucked up? Yeah, I know.'

'Well … kind of, yeah,' Valeria admitted. 'I didn't even know you liked Scorpius.'

'Me neither.'

'What're you going to do?' the brunette asked after a moment, supporting her head with the palm of her hand.

Rose shook her head and ran a hand through her hair. 'I don't have a fucking clue, Val.'


	16. Chapter 16

Rose lay with her back against the duvet, eyes fixed on the ceiling. Her palms rested beside her body on the bed, fingers absent-mindedly toying with the colourful fabric. As she stared upwards at one little black smudge on her white ceiling, she thought about the party, replaying the dreadful scene over in her head.

She couldn't comprehend her actions. She had fucked everything up, all because she wanted to get back at Scorpius for that stupid kiss. Rose couldn't understand why she'd been so set on getting revenge on Scorpius for something so small. Probably to get his attention, as Seth had suggested as he was yelling at Rose on Hazel's front lawn that night.

She thought about what he had said to her, each word as clear as day in her mind. So, she had to face the facts: Rose liked Scorpius. She must've mistaken her dumbass feelings for hatred towards him, because when she thought about it, she didn't hate him. Not at all. She liked him. And now she had fucked things up. She'd pissed off Seth, hurt Scorpius. Her dad was livid, and he didn't even know the full story.

Hugo rapped his knuckles against her bedroom door, distracting her from her thoughts. 'Yeah,' Rose called, inviting him in. The door creaked open and her younger brother popped his red-haired head in.

'Hey,' he said.

'Hey, kiddo.' Rose smiled half-heartedly.

'I told you not to call me that,' was Hugo's reply. He sat on the edge of the bed by her feet and turned his body slightly to face her.

'I know,' Rose said. 'But you'll let me, because I'm sad.'

'Are you ever going to come out of your room?'

'Not while Dad's still mad at me. Don't worry, he'll probably forgive me in the next couple of years,' she joked. 'It's not so bad up here. I could add in a miniature bathroom, put a flap on the door so someone can bring me food.'

Hugo grinned at his sister's humour. 'What did you even do to make him so mad?'

Rose shrugged. 'Something pretty messed up,' she admitted.

'Did you … oh my god,' Hugo said, feigning shock. 'Did you smoke meth?'

'What? No!' Rose giggled. 'Shut up, Hugo.'

'You should come downstairs for dinner tonight,' he told her. 'It's weird when it's just the three of us.'

'Sorry, buddy,' Rose said, giving her brother a sympathetic smile. 'Hey, how's school? Is that bitch Lisa still being a bitch-ass little bitch?'

'Oh, yeah.'

'She hasn't done anything to you, has she?' Rose asked.

'Not really,' Hugo said. 'Sometimes at lunch I see her and her friends looking at me and laughing.'

'That little fuckstick,' Rose hissed. 'I'm going to _kill _her.'

'Please don't do that. If you go to jail, Dad will be even madder and dinner will be even weirder.'

'Listen, don't even acknowledge her, okay?' Rose instructed.

Before Hugo could answer, Hermione knocked lightly on the door. 'Rose? Honey?'

'Yeah, Mum?'

'Can I come in?'

'Yeah.'

As Hermione stepped into her daughter's bedroom, Hugo left.

'Sorry,' Rose's mother said. 'I just wanted to talk to you before your father comes home.'

'Is this going to be another lecture?' Rose asked. 'Because I'm not sure I can handle being yelled at a third time.'

'No, honey,' Hermione said. She slipped her hand into the pocket of her trousers and pulled out Rose's phone. 'I came to give you this. I think you've gone without it for long enough now.'

'Really?' Rose propped herself up on her elbows. At her mother's nod, she reached out to take the phone. Three texts and a missed call from Valeria. Nothing from Scorpius, nothing from Seth. Although, really, what was she expecting?

'Your father will ease up soon,' Hermione said.

'Unlikely,' Rose retorted. 'I'll be grounded until the end of time, he says.'

'Oh, nonsense. You know your father. He may be mad now, but he can't punish you forever.'

Rose scoffed. 'I beg to differ,' she mumbled.

'Your father loves you, Rose. Hugo, too. You two are his whole world. You gave him such a fright that night, he was so worried that something awful had happened to you.'

'I know, Mum,' Rose said quietly. 'I just wish he wasn't so mad. I didn't mean to stay out that late. I wish I'd just come home when he bloody well told me to.'

Hermione rested her hand on her daughter's leg. 'I promise things will be back to normal soon. Come downstairs for dinner tonight.' She stood up off the bed and headed for the door, adding, 'Oh, and don't let him know that I gave you your phone back, for goodness sake.'

Rose smiled. 'Thanks, Mum.'

**X**

Nerves twisted Rose's stomach at the sight of Scorpius. He sat three rows in front of her, a couple of desks to the left, his blond hair swept back off his face. Rose willed herself to stop looking, noticing the deepening of her breath. Today, she would apologise—if not to both Seth and Scorpius, then at least to the latter of the two.

She had it planned out: at lunch time, she would go and find Scorpius, ask him if she could talk to him for a minute. He would get up from the table, his friends leering at her as they walked away. They'd go somewhere sort of secluded, and Rose would turn to face him, and tell him that she was sorry, and that she knew that he didn't want to hear excuses, and that she now understood that she was completely insensitive, and the way she acted was utterly unwarranted, and that she was sorry. And he would look down at her with a thoughtful expression, still angry, yet sympathetic; and after a moment, his scowl would melt away and he would tell her it was okay.

That was how the situation played out in her head. But when it happened, it didn't go to plan at all.

**X**

Rose spotted Scorpius' friends from across the yard and made her way over. They watched her closely as she approached, but as she got closer she noticed that Scorpius was not with them.

'Is Scorpius around?' she questioned.

'You give a shit all of a sudden?' one of them piped up, eyeing her contemptuously.

'As a matter of fact, I do,' Rose countered. 'Look, I'm not looking to cause any more trouble. Can you please just tell me where he is?'

'F block,' another one said after a moment. 'Said he had to stay back and study or some shit.'

'Dude,' scolded the first guy, but softened after a knowing look from the other one. Rose eyed their non-verbal exchange suspiciously.

'Thanks,' she said tentatively before heading off to look for Scorpius.

**X**

As she walked through F block, Rose spotted his blond hair through the window. She moved towards the door and tried the handle, but it was locked. She knocked.

'Scorpius?'

Through the door, Rose heard Scorpius muttering a string of swear words. After a beat, he pushed the door ajar and looked out.

'What, Rose?'

'I—could we talk for minute?' Rose asked.

Scorpius looked back into the classroom, and then back at Rose. 'This really isn't a good time,' he told her.

'It'll only take a second. Please?'

The blond sighed. 'Fine,' he said. 'One minute. Go.'

'I—um, well I just wanted to say, um. I'm sorry for what happened at Hazel's. It was really, um, shitty of me to …' Rose trailed off, distracted by Scorpius' lack of attention. He seemed anxious, constantly glancing backwards. 'What are you …?'

But it was then that Rose noticed that Scorpius wasn't alone in the classroom. She could hear a muffled yet distinct female coming from behind him, and only then did she really notice his dishevelled appearance; shirt messily buttoned and untucked, hair kind of looking like it had been tousled.

'Oh my gosh,' muttered Rose, embarrassed. 'I'm—oh my gosh. Sorry. I'll—never mind. Sorry. Bye.'

Without waiting for Scorpius to respond, Rose hurried away, covering her face with her hands.

Fuck. Goddamn it. Fuck.


	17. Chapter 17

The following morning, Rose was late to her English class. As she hurried from her locker to her classroom, she fretted about what type of punishment Mr Bates would think up for her. She prayed he didn't give her afterschool detention—she couldn't give her father more bad news.

Rose was preparing an excuse in her head as she approached the classroom door, but when she pushed it open she found that Mr Bates wasn't there either. People were sitting in groups around desks, chatting away cheerily. It was very unlike Mr Bates to be late. He was always on time, if not at least ten minutes early. But then, Rose thought, it was also unlike _her _to be late.

Rose spotted Seth sitting in the far corner of the classroom, tapping away at his phone screen. When she got closer, she saw that he was playing Angry Birds. Some of his friends were seated nearby, but they seemed engrossed in their own conversation.

'Do you mind if I sit here?' Rose asked timidly, gesturing towards the free seat beside Seth. He looked up from his phone, and though he didn't exactly look thrilled to see her, he gestured towards the chair as if to say, 'Go ahead.' Rose took a seat.

'Look,' she started, inhaling deeply. 'I take full responsibility for my actions at the party, and I'm not here to make excuses. What I did was horribly insensitive, and I know that I hurt both you and Scorpius. And no matter what state of mind I was in, what I did was completely unjustifiable. If you don't want to speak to me or see me again, I will totally understand. I just need you to know that I am truly, truly sorry for what I did to you.'

'Thank you,' Seth said.

'If you'll let me, I'd like to make it up to you,' Rose continued. 'I mean, I'm not exactly sure how. If you have anything you want me to do, I'll do it. If you want me to leave you alone forever, then I'll do that.'

'I'll keep that in mind. Look, Rose, I don't believe you're a bad person. I really like spending time with you, I always have fun when we hang out—well, you know what I mean. And I don't know what got into you at the party and those couple of weeks before the party, but I don't believe you were in your right mind. And I'd like to stay friends with you, if that's what you want.'

'Really?' Rose asked disbelievingly. 'Are you serious?'

Seth nodded. 'But don't ever fucking do anything like that again. To anyone. Got it?'

'Believe me,' Rose said. 'I won't.'

'How much trouble did you get in with your parents?'

'Oh, god. I still can't look my dad in the eye.'

Seth chuckled. 'Did you get grounded?'

'Until further notice. No leaving the house aside from school, no friends over. I wasn't allowed my phone for weeks. It was _horrendous_.'

'Sounds tough,' Seth agreed.

'Thanks for giving me another chance, Seth,' Rose said, lowering her voice slightly. 'I know I'm not deserving of it, and I appreciate it.'

'Have you apologised to Scorpius?'

'Uh, well,' Rose suddenly felt ill. 'I tried. It just so happened that my attempt at an apology interrupted his shag session with a pretty girl.'

'Yikes,' Seth said. 'Sorry. At least you guys are sort of even now, though.'

At this moment, Mr Bates strode through the classroom door, looking flustered. A hush fell over the classroom as he hurried to his desk and set down his belongings. 'Sorry I'm late, class,' he huffed, pushing hair out of his face. 'Please open your notebooks to a fresh page. We're behind schedule—be ready to take down notes.'

**X**

'Maybe you should go to his house,' Valeria suggested.

'What?' Rose asked, wrinkling her nose. 'Val, there's no way he'd let me in.'

'You don't have to go inside. Just go over, say what you need to say, and leave again. Then it's over and done with.'

'I agree,' Seth chimed in.

'Really? You think this is a good idea?'

'Well, yeah,' Seth shrugged.

'Unless you have any other ideas,' Valeria raised her eyebrows.

Rose sighed. 'I guess not,' she said. 'Fine, I'll go over sometime.'

'Why not today?'

'Because today is … today.'

'Yes, exactly,' Valeria said. 'It'll be over in a few minutes. Just go today, quit being a baby.'

'I'm not being a baby!' Rose protested. 'It's just intimidating.'

'You kind of are,' Seth said.

'You both suck,' Rose huffed. 'Fine. I'll go today, okay? Will that make you happy?'

'Yes,' Valeria said.

**X**

Rose pressed the doorbell and it rang, low and loud. She stepped back. It took a few moments for anyone to answer, but Rose didn't want to press the doorbell a second time. She didn't want to be here at all. Her stomach felt as if it were doing cartwheels.

Astoria answered the door. 'Hello, dear,' she said pleasantly. 'How are you?'

'Hi, Mrs Malfoy. I'm fine, thank you—uh, I was just wondering if Scorpius was home.'

'He is, yes, he's up in his room. I'll get him for you. Come on in, dear.'

'Actually, I'd rather stay out here if it's alright,' Rose said, quickly adding, 'I have to get back home, I just came over to, uh, ask about some homework.'

'Oh,' Astoria said, giving Rose a strange look. 'Alright. Scorpius, you have a visitor!'

With a brief, polite smile, Astoria walked away. Rose picked at her nails anxiously as Scorpius bounded down the stairs and came to the front door to see who was here for him. 'Oh,' he said when he saw Rose.

'Please don't close the door,' Rose said quickly, speaking in a hushed tone. 'Scorpius, I know that I'm the last person in the world you want to speak to right now, but I needed to apologise. I'm so sorry for what I did. I don't expect you to forgive me. I'm not going to try and make excuses, okay? I'm just sorry, I'm really, deeply, sincerely sorry.

Scorpius looked down and sighed deeply. 'Rose,' he said. 'I'm not sure you really, fully understand how shitty what you did was.'

'I do, I—that's why I'm here. I hate that I did that to you, that I purposely tried to hurt you like that. I wish, more than anything, that I could go back and undo it.'

Scorpius shook his head. 'Look, I stand by what I said that night,' he told her. 'You're not a cruel person. I know that you probably weren't thinking straight. You were drunk, and you were mad at me. God knows why, I might add, but you were. I know that you wouldn't do anything like that, Rose. But you _did_. And it fucking hurt, okay? And I love you, but I can't trust you.'

Rose stared. 'You … love? Me? Love me—you love me.'

'Yeah. Surprise.'

'For … for how long? Have you …?'

'God, does it matter?' Scorpius hissed.

'No, you're right,' Rose said, casting her eyes downwards. 'I'm sorry, I really am. For everything. I promise that I'll leave you alone. If you—I mean, if you ever think of a way I can make it up to you, I'll do it, no questions asked.'

'Goodbye, Rose,' Scorpius said, and closed the front door.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Sorry this one's a little longer than usual! I hope you all still enjoy regardless!**

On Monday morning, Hugo hesitantly approached his sister at school. Rose, who was sitting at a table in the cafeteria with her friends, turned to look at her younger brother. He looked a little pale.

'What's the matter?' Rose asked.

'Um,' Hugo said, his voice almost a whisper, 'why is Scorpius sitting with Lisa?'

'What?' Rose frowned, and turned her head to where her little brother was gesturing. Sure enough, Scorpius was sat at a table beside a skinny girl with sandy blonde hair. _This _was Lisa? Rose didn't think she was pretty at all. Her nose looked too small for the rest of her face, her eyebrows were too thin and the way her hair was styled made her forehead look massive. She giggled too much when Scorpius said something funny.

Still, he sat next to her, listening to her as she talked. Even from where Rose was sitting, she could tell that he was flirting with her, causing her cheeks to turn pink, and she twirled her hair and giggled stupidly.

'I don't know,' Rose said, realising that she hadn't replied to her brother's question. 'Screw them. They deserve each other.' She smiled weakly at her brother, who smiled weakly back.

Rose wondered if this was just a ploy to make Rose jealous.

'What are you staring at?' Valeria asked, noticing that her friend's eyes were locked on something on the other side of the cafeteria—she turned to look as well, spotting Scorpius and Lisa. Lisa was now gushing away about something, and Scorpius was at least pretending to pay attention. Valeria, still staring, asked who it was Scorpius was talking to.

'Lisa,' Rose muttered.

Valeria whipped her head around. 'Lisa? _The _Lisa?'

Rose nodded, and Hugo turned pink. He looked down at his shoes. Rose, realising that Hugo was still standing, scooted over so that he could take a seat beside her.

'She's not _that _pretty,' Valeria said to no one in particular.

'_I _think she is,' Hugo piped up.

'Sorry,' Valeria said awkwardly, offering a half-hearted smile. 'I just don't think what she did to you was nice. I don't like her. I think you could do better.'

Hugo mirrored Val's weak smile and muttered a thanks, as though he sort of agreed with her but didn't want to admit it. Silently, Rose agreed with her friend.

**X**

Over the next week, Scorpius and Lisa hardly went anywhere without each other. It was like they'd been joined at the hip, and it was disgusting. As far as Rose knew, they weren't an item, and she hadn't seen them kissing or anything, but she'd heard whispers about their constant flirting. Apparently, Scorpius had even been over to her house already.

Rose tried to avoid seeing them together as much as possible, but she couldn't escape the rumours that were beginning to surface by the second week. As she walked through the hall, she heard a year ten telling her friends that they'd already had sex. The thought made her feel kind of sick, honestly, even though she didn't really believe it. Although, it might have been perfectly true.

As the week passed Rose frequently found herself wondering if Scorpius was doing this out of spite—to show Rose that two could play that game. To prove that she wasn't the only one who could crush people's feelings. Although she doubted it would happen, she secretly sort of hoped that Scorpius _would _fuck everything up, and then maybe she wouldn't feel so guilty. She might even stop liking him.

Towards the end of the second week that Scorpius and Lisa had been spending time together, though, something unexpected happened.

It was a Thursday morning. Rose, Seth and Beau, who had all arrived to school early, decided to find a spot in the courtyard to sit and wait until the bell sounded. Well, Seth had come up with the idea, and Rose had checked discreetly for any sign of Scorpius before agreeing to it. They sat down on the grass by the limestone steps, under the shade of a tree. Soon after, Rose heard an annoyingly familiar, girly voice behind her. She turned to see Lisa sitting with a group of her friends. She turned back around and rolled her eyes, until she actually caught what they were saying.

'… no, I can't come over this weekend Kate, I _told_ you. I'm grounded, remember? Geez,' Lisa sighed impatiently. She spoke slowly and clearly, as if she were trying to talk to someone who didn't understand English very well.

'Oh, right,' Kate replied, her voice irritatingly high-pitched. 'You still haven't told us why.'

'It's … embarrassing,' Lisa admitted, blushing. 'Just … don't tell anyone, okay?'

Her friends must've nodded in agreement.

'Okay, so,' Lisa began reluctantly. 'So I came home yesterday afternoon from school, right? And when I walk in, Mum's like, "there's a package for you!" So, obviously I'm excited, and I look at the package, but it doesn't say who it's from. Like, it's just a plain brown box with my name on it. And Mum was all excited, and she told me to open it in front of her. So we sit down, right, and I open it, and there's all these packing foam peanuts in there, and a note on top, and the note's like, _Lisa – I know how desperately you've been wanting one of these, so I pulled some strings and got you a few. Have fun!_

'So by now Mum's asking me what it is, and I'm totally confused, so I pull the packing peanuts out of the box and …' she seemed to trail off, and after some encouraging gasps and _what was it?_'s from her friends, she whispered, 'Sex toys.'

'Oh my god!' shrieked one of her friends, attracting some stares. Lisa hissed at her to shut up. 'But you didn't—you—who sent it?'

'I don't know!' Lisa exclaimed. 'The note didn't say. I had to beg Mum for like half an hour before she agreed not to tell Dad.'

Rose snickered inwardly at Lisa's mortification, thinking that finally, that bitch got what she deserved.

It didn't stop there, though. The Dildo Incident was merely the beginning of a short saga of unfortunate events that would leave Lisa scarred for the rest of her high school years.

**X**

On Monday morning, Rose was sitting in human biology, only half paying attention as her teacher rambled on about the digestive system—Rose, being one of the only people in the class who did her readings beforehand, knew most of the information already. She stared out the window of the classroom. A group of year tens were standing, huddled, by the wall of the next building. Some of them were sniggering, and some were gasping and whispering in what appeared to be shock.

_Probably one of the boys bragging about how he lost his virginity_, Rose thought, rolling her eyes. They seemed to be looking at something, though. At that moment, though, Rose's teacher instructed the class to open their text books to chapter six, read it, and answer the questions. Rose, who had already read the chapter, dove straight into answering the questions. She was done in a matter of minutes.

When she looked back out the window, the group of year tens had dispersed and Rose could see what they had been looking at—an A4 poster stuck to the wall of the building. There was a picture at the top of the paper and some words underneath it, but it was too hard to make out either. Rose supposed that she would have a look after class.

There was still about twenty minutes until the end of class, though, and having already finished the chapter six questions, Rose decided to read through the next few chapters to pass the time. She was halfway through chapter eight when she looked up and noticed that the poster had been taken down. _Whatever, _she thought, _it probably wasn't that interesting. _

**X**

Failing to hear the lunch bell, Rose's human biology teacher let the class out later than usual. Rose made her way to her locker and put her books away, and then wandered over to the cafeteria. She joined her friends, who were sitting together at a table near the door. It looked as though whatever they were chatting about was rather amusing.

'What's so funny?' Rose said as she sat down beside Valeria, who had a large grin painted on her face.

'You haven't seen it?' Val asked.

'Well, if I knew what it was, I might be able to tell you.'

Valeria looked at Seth, who handed Rose a piece of paper. This must've been what those year tens were giggling about, too. Rose looked down at the paper. At the top was a very, very unflattering photo of Lisa—her face was very close to the camera, she was squinting at the flash, and she looked like she was in the middle of saying something, as her mouth was open in a strange shape. Underneath, the text read, _Lisa Samkoff has HERPES!_

It was really rather immature, and had it been about anyone else, Rose would've wrinkled her nose in distaste and lectured her friends for finding it amusing. But this was _Lisa_, so she really couldn't have cared less. It's not like it was a naked photo of her or anything.

'They've been put up around the school,' Seth said. 'I mean, it's childish, but so is she.'

'Wonder what Scorpius has to say about this,' smirked Maryann. Rose wished she hadn't said that.

It didn't seem to bother him at all, though. In fact, he still sat with her and listened to her as she ranted about whoever it was who was terrorising her like this. He even spat witty insults at those who made fun of Lisa for the Poster Incident.

**X**

By Thursday, the name-calling and nasty whispers about Lisa had calmed down. So naturally, it was the day her tormentor struck a third time; the grand finale. It began when Rose walked past the janitor on the way to her locker that morning. Rose smiled fleetingly at him as she passed, enough to acknowledge him. She didn't see him slipping two crisp twenty pound bills into his shirt pocket.

When she reached her locker, she was displeased to see that Lisa was leaning against a locker nearby, gossiping to her juvenile friends. Well, she assumed they were gossiping, she couldn't quite hear. Lisa whipped her head around as Rose approached, but she didn't acknowledge her. Instead, she raised her voice deliberately. 'It was totally cute,' she boasted. 'He just came in and told me that he baked them for me. Isn't that just adorable?'

'Oh my gosh, _so _adorable.'

'That's the _cutest_!'

'I know,' she went on. 'I think he really likes me. I mean, he must to want to bake for me, right? He's so romantic.'

Were they talking about Scorpius? Rose suppressed the urge to laugh out loud as she looked through her locker for the books she needed for the day.

'They were _so _delicious, too. Hey, do you guys want one?' Lisa pulled a purple Tupperware container out of her bag and pulled the lid off, revealing six chocolate cupcakes. They did smell good. Her friends took one and bit into them eagerly, 'mmm'ing to show their approval as they chowed down.

'Good, right?' Lisa said, putting the container away.

'_So _good!'

'He's a total keeper!'

Lisa smirked.

**X**

By lunchtime, however, Lisa wasn't smirking anymore. In fact, she looked rather queasy. Rose didn't see though, as she had decided to sit in the courtyard instead of the cafeteria that day, not particularly in the mood for seeing Lisa and Scorpius together. Although, when Lisa started complaining to her friends that she felt unwell, Scorpius suggested that maybe some fresh air would help her to feel better, and so Rose found herself faced with the nausea-inducing pair anyway.

The fresh air didn't seem to help, as Rose listened to Lisa complaining about stomach cramps. They appeared to be gradually worsening, as every so often she would clutch her stomach and wrinkle her face in discomfort. Rose rolled her eyes, wishing she would shut up, and eventually decided to leave.

She stood up and began walking towards E block, thinking that it might be nice to sit somewhere quieter for a while. First though, she thought she'd better make her way to the bathroom to check herself in the mirror. As she approached the door, though, she saw that a notice had been stuck to it.

_E BLOCK BATHROOMS CLOSED FOR CLEANING_

That was strange. It would be better to clean them after school—although perhaps something had happened for it need cleaning now, like someone drawing on the mirrors, or clogging the toilets with toilet paper or something. _No matter, _thought Rose, turning away from the door.

It was at this moment that Lisa sprung up from the table and hurried over to the bathroom door, looking incredibly desperate. She tried to push the door open, but it refused to cooperate.

'It's locked,' Rose said.

'Fuck!' Lisa screeched. Her forehead was beaded with sweat. Scorpius approached.

'Hey, what's wrong?' he asked, though a smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth, as though he knew exactly what was wrong.

'Scorpius, please move,' Lisa said. He was blocking her way, apparently deliberately.

'Can I get a hug first?'

'Scorpius, I'm serious,' she huffed, looking rather panicked.

'You don't look so good,' he observed teasingly.

'Scorpius, _move_!'

'What's the magic word?'

'_SCORPIUS—'_ Lisa hissed. She pushed him aside and rushed off to find the nearest bathroom, shoving people out of her way as she went.

Before Scorpius walked off to follow, she could swear that she saw him wink at her.

**X**

Almost half an hour later, Lisa emerged from the bathroom beside the library. She was rather sweaty, and looked utterly humiliated. Scorpius stood waiting for her, arms crossed. Rose lurked nearby with Valeria, describing what had happened.

'Hey, you okay?' Scorpius asked, ignoring her bright pink face and her obvious desire not to speak to anyone. 'You must have been pretty sick. I wonder what caused it. You don't think the cupcakes did that, do you?'

Lisa said nothing.

'I mean, it _was _my first time baking them,' he continued, 'and we didn't have any baking powder, so I guess I improvised a little. Crushed up Ex-Lax is a suitable substitute, right?'

The girl looked absolutely horrified. 'What?' she said, her eyes wide. 'Why would you…?'

'Well, I wasn't really sure that dildos and herpes rumours were punishment enough.'

Lisa stood, staring at him in shock. 'Punishment enough for what?'

Scorpius smiled. 'Don't even _look_ at Hugo Weasley, ever again,' he said. 'Got it?'

**Another A/N: I feel like it's my responsibility after writing this to tell you all **_**not to try these pranks on people you know. **_**If you're going to prank someone, make sure it's just harmless fun.**


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Hey, everyone! Sorry I've been MIA lately, I've been under a bit of stress what with family, university and friends. I've tried to finish this chapter so many times but I've just been really uninspired. I'm so sorry it's taken so long! I've also realised that I actually have no idea where I'm going with this story, like I have no plan or anything for it, I kind of just open Word and improvise very chapter.**

**What I'm trying to say that as I come up with new stories and stuff it might take me a while to update this one, so if in spite of that you still want to stick around, thank you! This story is always so much fun to write, so hopefully I can keep it up for a while longer.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for putting up with me!**

Rose rubbed her forehead with her palm and looked up at the clock hanging above her. There was just under half an hour until her father would arrive to pick up his children. Hugo had stayed back after school to work on a group project with some of his classmates, and Rose had decided to use that time to study for human biology in the library; but it had been an hour and her eyes were tired, and the air conditioner had her shivering, so she decided to take a break. Rose gathered the books and papers that were spread across the desk and shoved them into her back before heading outside to the parking lot.

It was neither a particularly warm nor cool day, so why they had put the air conditioner on full blast in the library was beyond Rose. It took almost a full five minutes for her hands to regain warmth.

Rose looked up as she heard a car pulling out of its parking space. It was Mr Cranston, one of the Maths teachers, driving off in his little blue Toyota. Rose's eyes followed the car as it exited the parking lot, and she noticed Scorpius' white pickup truck parked near the entrance. She wondered what he was still doing here.

And as she was wondering, a shadow fell upon her, and she looked up, swallowing when she saw the blond standing before her.

'Hey,' he said.

'Hi,' Rose said back, quickly turning her gaze away from him and instead looking straight ahead at a vacant space in the parking lot.

'What're you still doing here?' Scorpius asked gently. 'Wait, don't tell me. Studying, right?'

Rose pursed her lips and nodded. 'Hugo had a group project,' she said shortly.

Scorpius furrowed his brow. 'So you're … studying with him?'

'No,' Rose said. 'I mean, he stayed back, so I did too. Why are you still here?'

'Ah, detention,' Scorpius replied casually. 'They gave me two weeks for my cupcake stunt with Samkoff. I was surprised she had the guts to tell anyone, actually.'

'Only two weeks?'

Scorpius shrugged. 'I guess they thought it was punishment enough. Or maybe they hate her too.'

Rose didn't know what to say, so she forced a chuckle. Trying to talk to Scorpius felt awkward at best. Part of her wished he would just go away. The blond looked down at Rose waiting for her to respond, but when he realised that she wasn't going to say anything, he took a seat on the low log fence beside her.

'Has she bothered him anymore?'

Rose shook her head. 'I guess I owe you thanks.'

'You guess?'

'Yeah—I mean, what you did was kind of messed up—'

'So I guess you and I are pretty alike then,' Scorpius snipped.

Rose had to shut her eyes momentarily to prevent herself from rolling them. It was beginning to irritate her that he wouldn't let go of the Party Incident, even though she knew that he had a right to hold a grudge. She just wished she knew what to do to make him forgive her.

'Yeah,' Rose said stiffly. 'Sorry.'

'At least I had a legitimate reason for what I did,' Scorpius muttered.

'Oh my god,' Rose said. 'I _know_ what I did was fucked, Scorpius. How many times do I have to apologise before you're not mad at me anymore?'

'Well maybe just telling me you're sorry isn't enough, Rose.'

'What am I supposed to do, then?' Rose asked defensively.

Scorpius shook his head. 'I don't know, I don't know what will make it better. You'll think of something, I'm sure. You're Hermione Granger's daughter, for god's sake.' He stood up and began rifling through his pocket for his keys.

'You're leaving?' Rose asked.

'Mum's expecting me home,' Scorpius replied, looking down at Rose. 'Family thing. Bye, Rose.'

He didn't wait for her to respond. As he walked off, Rose thought about calling him back. She thought about running up and kissing him. Would that show him she was sorry? After brief contemplation, she decided against it; she'd done enough. All she had to do was think of a way to apologise, and make him forgive her.

'Was that Scorpius?' asked Hugo, who had somehow left the library and walked right up to Rose without her noticing. Hugo watched the pickup truck turn out of the parking lot.

'Yeah,' Rose said.

'How was he?'

'Angry.'

'Yeesh,' Hugo mumbled.

'I don't understand what he wants me to do,' Rose huffed, making her brother shrug his shoulders.

'Like he said, you're Hermione Granger's daughter.'

'How much of that did you hear?' Rose asked quickly, looking at her brother.

'Enough to know that you really did a number on him.'

Before Rose had the chance to say anything else, Ron's car pulled into the parking lot.

**X**

'Rose!' Hermione called from down the hall.

'Yeah?' Rose called back.

'Could you help your father? He's in the garden.'

'Why can't Hugo help him?' Rose groaned as she stuck her head out of her bedroom door.

'He's doing homework,' Hermione told her daughter. 'Please, just go.'

With a huff, Rose tossed her phone onto the bed and closed her bedroom door, making her way out into the front garden. Ron was pruning the bushes with a new set of hedge trimmers he'd just bought.

'You'll need a pair of gloves,' he said when he saw her, gesturing to the spare pair at the foot of the garden. 'Could you pull some weeds for me? Thanks, love.'

Rose tried not to exhale too aggressively as she slipped her hands into the gloves—far too big for her, by the way—and started yanking weeds out of the ground. She knew that her father wasn't really angry at her anymore, but it still felt a little awkward to be around him. Besides, she was busy trying to think of a way to make it up to Scorpius. As she tugged at the weeds, she brainstormed ideas.

'How's school been lately?' Ron asked. Rose wished he wouldn't try to make small talk.

'Fine,' she said.

'Your classes have been going okay? No problems?'

'Um, no, I don't think so.'

'That's good,' Ron said, and went back to trimming. But after a moment, he spoke up again. 'How's the play going?'

'Fine,' Rose said again.

'When's opening night?'

'I don't know. Two weeks or something.'

Ron nodded, sensing his daughter's irritation. After a beat, he said, 'I know you probably don't want to be doing this with me right now.'

Rose didn't respond.

'You're not a bad kid, Rose. I really don't know what happened at that party—'

'I don't want to talk about this,' Rose said. Was he ever going to let it go?

'Just listen for minute,' Ron told her. 'Your mum and I have noticed you've been pretty upset for the last few weeks. We know that you're a good kid, and that you always do well in school, and you're usually very responsible. Anyway, we've been talking and she thinks you've been punished for long enough.'

Rose looked up, hopeful, waiting for her father to finish.

'So as of today, you're ungrounded.'

'Really?'

'Well, not entirely. You get your phone back and you can go out, but no more parties for a while, okay? And we need to go where you're going and with who and what time you'll be back. Okay?'

'Yeah!' Rose said happily, standing up to give her father a hug. 'Thanks, Dad.'

'Now get back to work,' Ron said as he tousled Rose's hair.

Smiling, Rose kneeled down and continued ripping up weeds.

**X**

Twenty minutes later, Ron had gone inside for a glass of water, and Rose was almost finished. There was only one more weed that she could see, near a bed of flowers at the foot of the garden.

As she was working the plant out of the dirt, something caught her eye and she looked up. Hidden in the flowerbed was a piece of paper, scrunched up messily. Rose took off her gloves and reached for it. The paper was a little wet. She unravelled it to reveal the name of a song. Wait—this must have been the receipt Scorpius had written his song recommendation on all those months ago, the one that she screwed up and threw into the garden. How had it lasted so long without deteriorating?

Rose looked at it, studying the smudged black ink. And suddenly, she knew what to do. Well, she wasn't _sure_ it would help, but it was worth a try. She would listen to this song again, and maybe some others, and then she would write about them—an essay, on what she thought of them. There had to be _something_ to like about the music, right? She remembered it being heavier than she liked her music to be, but maybe the lyrics held lots of meaning, or maybe the singer had a good voice. She'd have to wait and see.

Stuffing the receipt into the pocket of her cardigan, Rose stood up and went inside, straight to the study.


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: As usual, sorry it took me so long to upload this chapter. Life has been crazy stressful lately. I'm also sorry that this chapter is so short. I'll try and get the next chapter up sooner. Nonetheless, I hope you guys enjoy! If you'd like, feel free to leave a review. Thanks guys!**

As he picked up the mail, Draco Malfoy noticed that it felt heavier than usual. He rifled through the pile of bills and catalogues, but stopped when he reached a thick envelope. On the front was Scorpius' name written in elegant script with blue ink. The sender had not written the Malfoys' address on the front, and there was no return address on the back. That was odd.

'Scorpius, there's mail here for you,' he called.

Scorpius emerged from his bedroom and made his way down the stairs. 'A bill?' he asked, expecting his father to hand him a car registration invoice.

'No,' Draco said, holding out the hefty envelope to his son. 'I'm not sure what it is. Or who it's from, for that matter.'

Scorpius took the envelope and studied it, confused. 'Thanks.' He retreated to his bedroom.

The writing on the front of the envelope looked familiar, but why would Rose be sending him mail? Perhaps an apology letter. A _long_ apology letter, by the feel of it.

Scorpius took a seat on the edge of his bed and tore open the envelope. He pulled out four pages, stapled together and folded twice. How could Rose even have so much to say that it filled _four pages_?

But as it turned out, it wasn't an apology letter. It was three pages of what looked like an essay and one very concise letter stapled to the back. The title on the first page read, _A Detailed Review of Marilyn Manson's Album 'Born Villain'_. Scorpius wondered what inspired Rose to listen to Marilyn Manson.

Wait—he'd asked her to listen to one of his songs months ago, and she'd sworn she didn't like it.

Scorpius skimmed through the essay. He didn't understand a lot of the words she used and her response wasn't as passionate as he'd hoped it would be—although he didn't really expect it to be. She listened to the music because she thought it would make him happy, not because she enjoyed it. Still, it was a sweet gesture.

When he finished reading through the essay, he flipped to the letter.

_Scorpius,_

_I hope you got through the essay alright. Sorry it was so long._

_I have a song request for you now: So Sorry by Feist. It may not be to your tastes, but pay attention to the lyrics._

_Rose_

That was succinct. Then again, having just scanned through three full pages, Scorpius couldn't really complain. He opened YouTube and searched the song he'd been given. As it began, Scorpius' face twisted in disfavour. Rose was right—it wasn't to his tastes at all. Still, he forced himself to listen.

_I'm sorry_

_Two words I always think_

_After you've gone_

_When I realise I was acting all wrong_

_So selfish_

_Two words that could describe_

_Actions of mine_

_When patience is in short supply_

Scorpius pulled his lips to one side in thought. Then he picked up his phone and began typing out a text.

**X**

It was late morning when Rose's text tone went off. Well, that was untrue, she'd been texting Valeria all morning. But this time, it was a message from Scorpius. Rose's stomach lurched. She hadn't had a text from him in months. She supposed he'd gotten her letter.

The message was brief, simply asking if she needed a lift to school on Monday. Her reply was just as brief.

_Thank you_.

As she pressed 'send', Rose couldn't help but grin. She brought her hand up to cover her mouth, hoping that her father wouldn't notice.

'What're you smiling at?'

Damn.

'Nothing,' Rose shook her head. 'Just something Val said.'


End file.
